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Liposomal Clodronate For Treating Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia

By Roxanne Cruz


Liposomal Clodronate is lately used in many medical researches, mainly as a treatment for autoimmune hemolytic anemia, also known as AIHA. Although some other methods proved to be useful as well, especially splenectomy and the use of corticosteroids, this method could be very useful for achieving good results in significantly shorter period of time.

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.

Besides giving very fast and reliable results, this method has other qualities. The drug is completely non-toxic. It is developed for in vivo use, and once released from the destroyed macrophage cell, it will soon be removed by the kidneys. The drug has extremely short half life once in circulation. Quickly achieved results can be very useful, especially in combination with other therapies.

Liposomes cannot get through capillary walls. This means that intravenous therapy can be useful for depleting macrophages in spleen, lung, joints, peritoneal cavity and other organs, including testis. Targeted therapy is also possible, using intraperitoneal injection. Macrophages won't be completely removed, but they are needed for different processes in the organism, anyway.

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 required temperature for storing and keeping this suspension is 4 degrees of Celsius. It is very important to take a good care about this temperature, and to use the product within a few days. Before using the product, it should reach a room temperature slowly. It means you have to leave it there for some time, and to shake it well before injecting it. Other things to remember are not to freeze the product ever, and not to expose it to temperatures above 30 degrees of Celsius.

Although the concentration you use can vary, it shouldn't extend 0,1 ml for 10 g of body weight, at least not for intravenous application. Targeted intraperitoneal application can involve larger concentration. In any case, the suspension concentration is depending on the drug solubility.

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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