Design and In-vitro Testing of Effective Poly(l-Lysine Iso-Phthalamide) Based Drug Targeting Systems for Solid Tumours

The mode of cell uptake, relative cytotoxicity and efficacy of poly (l-lysine iso-phthalamide)-drug conjugates, PEG-graft poly (l-lysine iso-phthalamide)-drug containing micelles, poly (l-lysine iso-phthalamide) modified drug/protein nanospheres and unmodified protein nanospheres as potential delivery systems have been evaluated using doxorubicin and polymethine fluorophores as model drugs. pH dependent cell membrane lysis has been demonstrated using a haemolysis model and the cytotoxicity of the polymeric system evaluated using standard MTT and LDH activity assays. In-vitro toxicity and cellular targeting data are presented and the potential healthcare impact of such systems is discussed.