Lyophilizable Stem Cell‐Hybrid Liposome with Long‐Term Stability and High Targeting Capacity

Abstract The hybridization of liposome with stem cell membranes is an emerging technology to prepare the nanovehicle with the capacity of disease‐responsive targeting. However, the long‐term storage of this hybrid liposome has received limited attention in the literature, which is essential for its potential applicability in the clinic. Therefore, the preservation of long‐term activity of stem cell‐hybrid liposome using freeze‐drying is investigated in the present study. Mesenchymal stem cell‐hybrid liposome is synthesized and its feasibility for freeze‐drying under different conditions is examined. Results reveal that pre‐freezing the hybrid liposome at −20 °C in Tris buffer solution (pH 7.4) containing 10% trehalose can well preserve the liposomal structure for at least three months. Notably, major membrane proteins on the hybrid liposome are protected in this formulation and CXCR4‐associated targeting capacity is maintained both in vitro and in vivo. Consequently, the hybrid liposome stored for three months demonstrates a comparable tumor inhibition as the fresh‐prepared one. The present study provides the first insights into the long‐term storage of stem cell hybrid liposome using lyophilization, which may make an important step forward in enhancing the long‐term stability of these promising biomimetic nanovehicle and ease the logistics and the freeze‐storage in the potential clinical applications.