Selective uptake by cancer cells of liposomes coated with polysaccharides bearing 1-aminolactose

We investigated the selective uptake of liposomes chemically modified by po lysaccharides-cholesterol derivatives with 1-aminolactose (lactose) in two human hepatoma cell lines (HUH7 and Alexander), a human colon cancer cell l ine (FCC) and a human lung cancer cell line (KNS). The uptakes of the label ed liposomes alone (conventional liposomes), those with cholesterol pullula n (CHP) and with lactose (lactose CHP) were compared in four cancer cells a nd normal rat hepatocytes after 3 hours of incubation. The radioactivities of the lactose CHP were 4.4, 4. 3.4 and 4.4 times greater than those of CHP in HuH7, Alexander, FCC and KNS cells, respectively, after 3 hours of incu bation. All the above differences were statistically significant (p < 0.01) . No statistically significant differences were seen in the case of hepatoc ytes. Thus, cancer cells have a common affinity with lactose CHP liposomes, however, these mechanisms appear to have no connection with the galactose- specific asialoglycoprotein receptors of hepatocytes.