Example 3
Delivery of paclitaxel to endothelial cells and tissue was studied in vitro using cells grown on Matrigel™ coated cell culture plates. Human coronary endothelial cells (HCAECs, Lonza, Walkersville, Md.) were cultured in EGM™-2MV growth media (Lonza, Walkersville, Md.). One day prior to paclitaxel transfer studies, cells were seed in 96 well BD Matrigel™ Matrix Thin-Layer cell culture plates at 20,000 cells per well in 0.2 mL of medium. Suspensions of paclitaxel (LC Laboratories, Woburn, Mass.) in water were prepared at 11 mg/ml paclitaxel and with PEI (Polysciences, Warrington, Pa.; MW=750 kDa) or PAMAM, ethylene diamine core, gen 4, dendrimer (Sigma, Milwaukee, Wis.; 14,214 Da) at 0.96 mg/mL (92:8 w/w ratio) or iopromide at 11 mg/mL (IOPR, 1:1 w/w ratio). Suspensions were sonicated briefly prior to use. Resulting suspensions (5 μL) were added to the cell culture plates and incubated for 3 or 10 minutes. Suspensions were also added to Matrigel™ coated plates with medium but without cells. After incubation plates were rinsed three times with phosphate buffered saline (200 μL per well) and then allowed to dry overnight. paclitaxel remaining in plates was dissolved in methanol (250 μL) and quantified by HPLC. The amount of transferred paclitaxel is shown in