An in vitro model for studying drug carrier interactions with the endothelium

A promising approach to drug delivery is to target drug carriers to select segments of the endothelium via ligand-receptor interactions. The authors are developing an in vitro model that will allow investigation of the effects of carrier size, ligand-receptor chemistry and fluid shear on the deposition of the carriers on the endothelium and the fate of the carriers subsequent to binding. Initial studies focus on targeting the inducible endothelial cell adhesion molecules E- and P-selectin with a prototype model drug delivery carrier consisting of polystyrene particles coated with a mAb, HuEP5C7.G2, that recognizes both E- and P-selectin. The authors´ data strongly suggest that HuEP5C7.G2 particles exhibit specific association (binding and endocytosis) to cellular substrates expressing E- or P-selectin. Having developed this prototype, the authors are poised to systematically study the biophysics of targeted drug carrier interactions with the endothelium