Application of anion-exchange resin to remove lipophilic chelates from liposomes

Lipophilic chelates such as 8-hydroxyquinoline, acetylacetone, and tropolone are useful to load high levels of radioactive cations into the inner aqueous compartments of liposomes for investigating the fate of liposomes by the technique of gamma imaging or gamma-ray perturbed angular correlation measurements. However, if lipophilic chelates are not completely removed from liposomes the very same lipophilic chelates can also cause leakage of the entrapped cations from liposomes. Thus, it is essential to make sure that all the lipophilic chelates are removed from liposomes after the loading process. The results of the present study show that more than 99.85% of acetylacetone in liposomal suspension can be removed by a minicolumn of AG1-X8 (phosphate form) anion exchange resin. Virtually all the 8-hydroxyquinoline and tropolone in liposomal suspension are adsorbed tightly to the resin. The procedure is rapid, and the dilution of liposomes is minimal. For experiments involving high levels of gamma-emitting radionuclides, the cleaning up process of removing lipophilic chelates from liposomes can be conveniently operated behind a lead glass.