Several kinds of liposomes were sterilized at 121 degrees C for 20 min. They tended to aggregate after heat sterilization (HS) in saline, while no aggregation was observed in an isotonized sugar or polyol solution. The dispersions containing egg phosphatidylcholine (EggPC) with a high peroxide value (POV) turned slightly yellowish after HS. This color change was prevented by using EggPC with a low POV, hydrogenated EggPC (H-EggPC) or dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC). Nitrogen gas bubbling at neutral pH also prevented the color change, but vitamin E did not. The particle size of the EggPC liposomes extruded through a 0.4 micron membrane filter did not change significantly after HS, whereas the H-EggPC or DPPC liposomes extruded through a 0.8 micron membrane filter tended to be reduced in size. On this change the type of medium had a considerable influence. The anionic 6-carboxyfluorescein leaked from the negatively charged liposomes (EggPC/cholesterol (Chol)/egg phosphatidylglycerol) during HS, while no leakage was observed from the positively charged liposomes (EggPC/Chol/stearylamine) not only during HS but also during a long period of storage. It was suggested that sterilization of liposomes by heating was practicable as well as that by filtration, if the liposomes were prepared as follows: the charged liposomes made of lipids with low POV's were dispersed in a sugar or polyol solution adjusted to nearly pH 6.5, where the amount of dissolved oxygen was minimized. An ionic water-soluble drug had to be encapsulated in the oppositely charged liposomes.

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Uptake of the nonabsorbable marker 6-carboxyfluorescein was investigated both free and encapsulated in liposomes as a function of their surface charge and hydrodynamic diameter in rat Peyer's patch and nonpatch tissue. Significant uptake of the marker occurred only when encapsulated in liposomes consisting of at least 25 mol% phosphatidylserine and was highest in Peyer's patches. 6-Carboxyfluorescein encapsulated in liposomes equal to or greater than 374 nm was preferentially taken up by Peyer's patches. There was a trend to higher uptake in lower intestinal segments. These findings were supported by fluorescence microscopic observations. Uptake by Peyer's patches was specific for negatively charged liposomes as judged from competition studies.

To evaluate the usefulness of liposomes as a carrier for the targeted delivery of antigens to gut-associated lymphoid tissue, liposomal stability and uptake by rat Peyer's patches were investigated. Liposomes composed of distearoylphosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, and cholesterol (DSPC-liposome), or dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, and cholesterol were stable in acidic solution (pH 2.0), diluted bile, and pancreatin solution. Following the oral administration of liposomes to rats, rhodamine B-PE incorporated in the lipid phase of DSPC-liposomes was preferentially taken up by Peyer's patches in the lower ileum. The uptake of rhodamine B-PE from DSPC-liposomes larger than 374 nm in mean diameter was high. Orally administered DSPC-liposomes of a large diameter thus appear to serve effectively as a vehicle for delivering antigens to Peyer's patches.

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