Characterization of liposomal vesicles encapsulating rhodanese for cyanide antagonism.

The major mechanism of removing cyanide from the body is its enzymatic conversion by a sulfurtransferase, e.g. rhodanese, to the less toxic thiocyanate in the presence of a sulfur donor. Earlier results demonstrated that externally administered encapsulated rhodanese significantly enhances the in vivo efficacy of the given sulfur donor. Present studies are focused on liposomal carrier systems encapsulating rhodanese. Physicochemical properties, e.g. membrane rigidity, size distribution, surface potential, osmolarity, and viscosity, were determined for various liposomal lipid compositions and hydrating buffers to establish in vitro stability and in vivo fate. Lipid composition was also optimized to achieve maximum encapsulation efficiency.