Enhancement of Tissue Delivery and Receptor Occupancy of Methylprednisolone in Rats by a Liposomal Formulation

A liposomal formulation of methylprednisolone (L-MPL) was developed to improve localization of this immunosuppressant in lymphatic tissues. Liposomes containing MPL were formulated from a mixture of phosphatydylcholine and phosphatydylglycerol (molar ratio, 9:1) and sized by extrusion through a 0.1-µm membrane. Male Sprague–Dawley rats received a bolus dose of 2 mg/kg of L-MPL or free MPL in solution (control). Samples of blood, spleen, liver, thymus, and bone marrow were collected at intervals over a 66-hr period. Concentrations of MPL in plasma and organs and free cytosolic glucocorticoid receptors (GCR) in spleen and liver were determined. The plasma MPL profiles for free and L-MPL were bi- and triexponential. Although the alpha phase kinetics of both dosage forms were similar, L-MPL showed a substantially slower elimination phase than did free drug. Incorporation of MPL into liposomes caused the following increases: terminal half-life, from 0.48 (MPL) to 30.13 hr (L-MPL); MRT, from 0.42 to 11.95 hr, V_ss, from 2.10 to 21.87 L/kg; and AUC, from 339 to 1093 ng · hr/mL. Uptake of liposomes enhanced significantly the delivery of drug to lymphatic tissues and liver; AUC tissue:plasma ratios for spleen increased 77-fold; for liver, 9-fold; and for thymus, 27-fold. The duration of GCR occupancy was extended 10-fold in spleen and 13-fold in liver by the liposomal formulation. Lymphatic tissue selectivity and extended receptor binding of liposome-delivered MPL offer promise for enhanced immunosuppression.