Detergent and Phospholipid Mixed Micelles as Proliposomes for an Intravenous Delivery of Water-Insoluble Drugs

A novel drug delivery system, detergent-phospholipid mixed micelles as proliposomes, for water-insoluble compounds was developed by investigating (i) spontaneous formation of small unilamellar vesicles (SUV) from bile salt-egg phosphatidylcholine mixed micelles, (ii) the molecular mechanism of micelle-to-vesicle transition in aqueous mixtures of detergent-phospholipid, (iii) preparation and screening of a suitable liposomal formulation for a lipophilic drug: solubilization of the drug within the lipid bilayer, evaluation of the solubility limit, and characterization of the resulting product with respect to the physical properties and stability of the drug in the system, and (iv) testing antitumor activity in vitro. The results showed that the new carrier had a strong possibility to be a biocompatible universal formulation for water-insoluble drugs.