Modeling of the In Vitro Release Kinetics of Sonosensitive Targeted Liposomes

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Targeted liposomes offer a promising approach to enhance chemotherapy efficacy and minimize side effects.
• Ultrasound-triggered drug release from liposomes is an area of active research for improved therapeutic delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To perform comprehensive model fitting for liposomal release profiles under ultrasound stimulation.
• To evaluate the predictive accuracy of various mathematical models for drug release from targeted liposomes.

Main Methods:

• A large dataset of liposomal release profiles with seven targeting moieties and control liposomes was analyzed.
• Two ultrasound frequency levels (low: 20 kHz; high: 1.07 MHz and 3 MHz) and varying power densities were employed.
• Mathematical models including Hixson-Crowell, Korsmeyer-Peppas, Gompertz, Weibull, and Lu-Hagen were fitted to the release data.

Main Results:

• At low ultrasound frequencies, Hixson-Crowell, Korsmeyer-Peppas, Gompertz, Weibull, and Lu-Hagen models demonstrated good fits across all tested power densities.
• At high ultrasound frequencies, Hixson-Crowell, Korsmeyer-Peppas, and Gompertz models provided the best fit to the release profiles.
• Model fitting successfully characterized drug release kinetics under different ultrasound conditions.

Conclusions:

• Mathematical models are crucial for predicting drug release from ultrasound-triggered targeted liposomes.
• Selected kinetic models can accurately describe liposomal drug release, supporting the development of targeted chemotherapy delivery systems.
• These findings will facilitate the design and optimization of future in vitro studies for liposomal drug delivery.