Liposomal Clodronate For Treating Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia

By Roxanne Cruz


Liposomal clodronate therapy is a very useful drug formulation for treating autoimmune hemolytic anemia. This particular autoimmune disease destroys red blood cells. Usual therapies include the use of corticosteroids and splenectomy, but this one gives very fast and promising results by destroying macrophages.

Clodronate was successfully used for treating different osteolytic bone diseases. In various researches, it proved itself to be very useful in so called liposome mediated macrophage suicide technique. This method of depleting macrophages provides very good results in a very short time. This is especially important when such fast results are needed for successful treatment.

Although clodronate itself wouldn't be able to successfully pass through all cell membranes, using liposomes as the vehicles efficiently solves this problem. Macrophages eagerly eat those liposomes, filling their cells with encapsulated clodronate, until the critical concentration is reached. At this point, they simply destroy themselves.

The suspension itself is non-toxic. The released drug, once it reaches the circulation, is safely removed from the body by the renal system. The results are very fast, and although they aren't permanent, they can be very useful in different treatments.

Of course, this method is successful only if liposomal clodronate reaches the macrophages to destroy. Given the fact that liposomes cannot cross capillary walls, they can destroy the macrophage in the liver, lung, spleen, lymph nodes, joints and peritoneal cavity. If liposomes are adequately administered, they can also destroy macrophages in testis.

Although it is possible to deplete macrophages in vitro, the method is specifically developed for in vivo research. Clodronate released from dead macrophages has very short half-life and will be rapidly removed by the kidneys. In the culture medium, dependent on the composition of the medium, it cannot escape so easily, and it can be partially accumulated by the surrounding cells.

The temperature is very important. The suspension should never be frozen, and it should never be heated above 30 degrees of Celsius. The ideal temperature for keeping it is 4 degrees of Celsius. In any case, the suspension should be used within a few days. It is important to shake it well before dividing it into smaller dosages, because it tends to precipitate. It is important to get an even distribution, to achieve the proper concentration.

Intravenous injection should not be more than 0.1 ml per 10 grams of body weight. For intraperitoneal injection, this volume may be increased considerably. However, the concentration the drug in the aqueous compartments within the liposomes is limited by the solubility of clodronate.

Liposomal clodronate method for making red blood cells eating macrophages destroy themselves proved to be very useful in different treatments. Quickly achieved results aren't permanent, they last for about one week. It is important to adequately administrate the drug, to use separate syringe for your test animals and to make sure to clean the skin before injecting the suspension. This way you will avoid different contamination. If you use the same syringe for all the animals, make sure to shake it each time.




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