AUTHOR=De Silva Leanne , Fu Ju-Yen , Htar Thet Thet , Wan Kamal Wan Hamirul Bahrin , Kasbollah Azahari , Muniyandy Saravanan , Chuah Lay-Hong 

TITLE=Biodistribution Study of Niosomes in Tumor-Implanted BALB/C Mice Using Scintigraphic Imaging

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.778396

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2021.778396

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=<p>The purpose of this work was to study the biodistribution of niosomes in tumor-implanted BALB/c mice using gamma scintigraphy. Niosomes were first formulated and characterized, then radiolabeled with Technetium-99 m (<sup>99m</sup>Tc). The biodistribution of 99mTc-labeled niosomes was evaluated in tumor-bearing mice through intravenous injection and imaged with gamma scintigraphy. The labeled complexes possessed high radiolabeling efficiency (98.08%) and were stable <italic>in vitro</italic> (&gt;80% after 8 h). Scintigraphic imaging showed negligible accumulation in the stomach and thyroid, indicating minimal leaching of the radiolabel <italic>in vivo.</italic> Radioactivity was found mainly in the liver, spleen and kidneys. Tumor-to-muscle ratio indicated a higher specificity of the formulation for the tumor area. Overall, the formulated niosomes are stable both <italic>in vitro</italic> and <italic>in vivo</italic>, and show preferential tumor accumulation.</p>