In vivo visualizing of organs and tissues with liposomes

Abstract

The application of liposomes as carriers for imaging agents is considered. Liposomes loaded with the appropriate contrast agents have been shown to be suitable for gamma-, magnetic resonance (MR), computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound imaging. The methods are briefly described to prepare liposomes loaded with different contrast agents, as well as some data on their biodistribution. The application of contrast-loaded liposomes for liver/spleen, tumor, lymph nodes, infection and inflammation sites, myocardial infarction, and blood pool imaging is briefly reviewed together with some data available on the use of liposome for the ophtalmological imaging. New trends in the use of contrast-loaded liposomes are also considered, such as the application of long-circulating polymer-modified liposomes for imaging purposes and development of new lipid-coated liposome-like contrast agents.