Provided herein are methods for preparing liposomes and uses thereof. In certain embodiments, liposomes are prepared without using heat, organic solvents, proteins, and/or inorganic salts in the process. In certain embodiments, the liposomal preparation contains one or more active agents. In certain embodiments, the liposomal preparations are used in the treatment of diseases or disorders.

The present invention relates to a microvesicle that is derived from nucleated mammalian cells, which are smaller than the nucleated cells. The microvesicles of the present invention can be used in the delivery of a therapeutic or diagnostic substance to specific tissues or cells, and more particularly, relates to microvesicles derived from monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, stem cells or the like, which can be used to deliver specific therapeutic or diagnostic substances for treating and/or diagnosing tissue associated with cancer, diseased blood vessels, inflammation, or the like.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for encapsulating a poorly water-soluble pharmacologically active substance in a liposome with high efficiency.

The present invention provides a composition comprising a lipid having a phosphatidylcholine group, a cholesterol compound, a lipid having a phosphatidylethanolamine group, and a poorly water-soluble pharmacologically active substance, wherein the molar ratio of the lipid having a phosphatidylcholine group, the cholesterol compound, the lipid having a phosphatidylethanolamine group, and the poorly water-soluble pharmacologically active substance is 3 to 8:2 to 7:0.1 to 3:0.001 to 5, respectively.

The present disclosure provides liposomes comprising a membrane and an intraliposomal aqueous water phase, the membrane comprising at least one liposome forming lipid and the intraliposomal aqueous water phase comprises a salt of a bisphosphonate together with an amphipathic weak base agent (PLAD). An example of a liposome is one comprising co encapsulated in the intraliposomal aqueous water phase N-containing bisphosphonate, such as alendronate, and an anthracycline such as doxorubicin which was shown to increase survival as compared to Doxil or to administrations of liposomal alendronate (PLA) and Doxil (separate liposomes). Such liposomes may carry a targeting moiety exposed at the liposome's outer surface, for example, conjugate of folic acid as a targeting moiety to folate receptor (FT-PLAD). Also provided by the present disclosure is a method of preparing the liposomes and methods of use of the liposomes, at times, in combination with additional active ingredients, such as ?? T-cells.

Disclosed is a method of producing a vesicle containing a metallic nanoparticle that is covalently bound to at least one hydrophilic polymer and at least one hydrophobic polymer, wherein the method involves dispersing the polymer-bound metallic nanoparticle in an organic solvent, adding an aqueous solution containing a dispersing aid to form a mixed solution, sonicating the mixed solution to form an emulsion; and removing the organic solvent from the emulsion until the vesicle forms. Using this method, the formed vesicle has a diameter of 20-150 nm, which is useful for a method of conducting photothermal therapy (PTT) for killing cells, such as cancer cells.

An object of the present invention is to provide a compound or a salt thereof constituting lipid particles that can achieve a high nucleic acid encapsulation rate and excellent delivery of nucleic acids, and to provide lipid particles that can achieve a high nucleic acid encapsulation rate and excellent delivery of nucleic acids. According to an aspect of the present invention, a compound represented by Formula (1) or a salt thereof is provided.

##STR00001##

In the formula, X represents NR.sup.1 or O, R.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom, a hydrocarbon group, or the like, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, a hydrocarbon group, or the like, R.sup.4, R.sup.5, R.sup.6, R.sup.7, R.sup.8, R.sup.9, R.sup.10, R.sup.11, and R.sup.12 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, groups in any one or more pairs among R.sup.4 and R.sup.5, R.sup.10 and R.sup.5, R.sup.5 and R.sup.12, R.sup.4 and R.sup.6, R.sup.5 and R.sup.6, R.sup.6 and R.sup.7, R.sup.6 and R.sup.10, R.sup.12 and R.sup.7, and R.sup.7 and R.sup.8 may be linked to each other to form a 4- to 7-membered ring which may contain an O atom, a, b, c, and d are each independently represent an integer of 0 to 3, a+b is equal to or greater than 1, and c+d is equal to or greater than 1.

A PN composition for treating multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) comprises a lipophilic or hydrophobic component, an amphiphilic emulsifier, a polar liquid carrier, and one or more electrolytes, where the amphiphilic emulsifier forms micelles having a lipophilic or hydrophobic core comprising the lipophilic or hydrophobic component in the polar liquid carrier, and/or liposomes organized as a lipid bilayer and/or other particle configurations. This is a PN composition that takes up nitric oxide and releases it with enhanced rapidity enabling it to shift the balance of nitric oxide from one that exacerbates organ damage and decreased survivability to one that reverses and/or inhibits organ damage and increases survivability.

The invention pertains to a method of monitoring the membrane permeabilization of a liposome and the incidental release of a compound of interest. The method utilizes liposomes comprising a thermosensitive lipidic membrane encapsulating the product of interest and superparamagnetic nanoparticles having the electrostatic surface charge below 20 mV or above +20 mV when measured in an aqueous medium at physiological pH. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of: a) measuring relaxation time (T2*); b) heating the liposome at Tm or above Tm; c) measuring T2* after step b); d) obtaining the transverse relaxivity (r.sub.2*) values from the T2* values obtained from step a) and step c); and e) determining the ratio of r.sub.2* before and after the heating step b). A ratio above 1.5 indicates the liposome membrane permeabilization and the incidental release of the product of interest.

An object of the present invention is to provide a liposome composition containing a liposome having an excellent leakage rate of a nucleic acid analog anticancer agent, and a method for producing the same. According to the present invention, there are provided a liposome composition containing a liposome which (1) contains a nucleic acid analog anticancer agent and in which (2) a content ratio of a lysophospholipid contained in a lipid forming the liposome with respect to a total amount of phospholipids other than the lysophospholipid contained in the lipid forming the liposome is 0.01 mol % to 5 mol % and (3) a nucleic acid analog anticancer agent/lipid ratio is 2 mass % to 10 mass %, and a method for producing the same.

The present invention provides liposome compositions containing substituted ammonium and/or polyanion, and optionally with a desired therapeutic or imaging entity. The present invention also provide methods of making the liposome compositions provided by the present invention.