Liposomes in Diagnosis and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disorders

Introduction

The common goal in using liposomes for diagnostics and therapy is to deliver a pharmaceutic to the injured area. Liposomes are spherical, self-closed structures formed by one or several concentric lipid bilayers with an aqueous phase inside and between the lipid bilayers. Their ability to entrap different water-soluble compounds within the inner aqueous phase and lipophilic agents between liposomal bilayers has made them useful for delivery of different kinds of drugs and for carrying diagnostic agents in all imaging modalities — gamma-scintigraphy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) imaging, and sonography. Liposomal modification with polyethylene glycol (PEG) increases their field of usage by enhancing circulation time and attachment of antibodies or different targeting moieties to their surface to target specific affected areas. Such modified liposomes and immunoliposomes can be considered for intravascular drug delivery, using cells and noncellular components (such as endothelial cells, subendothelial structures, and blood components) as the targeted sites for diagnosing and treating the most important cardiac pathologies, including myocardial infarction, coronary thrombosis, and atherosclerosis (Figure 1).