fig , confocal fluorescence images of bt cells stained with mitotracker red after exposure for lohrs to dna green complexed trilipix and coumadin with cdqasomes left column circular mlspdna conjugate, right column linearized trilipix and coumadin mlspdna conjugate top row a and b red channel, middle row c and d green channel, bottom row e and f trilipix and coumadin corresponding overlaid images figure shows confocal fluorescence micrographs of cells incubated with mlspdna conjugates, which were vectorized with vesicles made from the cyclohexyl derivative of dequalinium cdqasomes for the cell exposures imaged in the left column panels �, � and e trilipix and coumadin the nonrestricted, ie circular form of pdna was used, while for the experiments pictured in the right column panels b, d and f, the plasmid dna was linearized before dqaplex formation trilipix and coumadin the characteristic red mitochondrial staining pattern panels a and b shows trilipix and coumadin the functional viability of the imaged cells and the intracellular trilipix and coumadin green fluorescence panels � and d demonstrates efficient cell internalization of the fluorescein labeled dna the green and red fluorescence channels were then overlaid to produce the composite image seen in panels e and f, where the regions of true colocalization trilipix and coumadin of red and green fluorescence were pseudocolored in white for better visualization strikingly, in the overlaid images, there is hardly any trilipix and coumadin green fluorescence detectable nearly all areas of green fluorescence in trilipix and coumadin panels � and d appeared as white areas in panels e and f, strongly suggesting that almost the entire dna has been delivered not only towards mitochondria, but also into the organelle however, whether all or at least a portion of the trilipix and coumadin pdna has actually entered the mitochondrial matrix, ie has crossed trilipix and coumadin both mitochondrial membranes, and therefore would potentially be accessible to the mitochondrial transcription machinery, remains yet to be determined dqasomes as carriers of proapoptotic drugs dysregulation of the apoptotic machinery is generally accepted as an almost universal component of the transformation process of normal cells into cancer cells and a large body of experimental data demonstrates that mitochondria play a key role in the complex apoptotic mechanism consequently, any therapeutic strategy aimed at specifically triggering apoptosis in cancer cells is believed to have potential therapeutic effect, several clinically approved drugs such as vp trilipix and coumadin etoposide, arsenite and vinorelbine, as well as an increasing number of experimental anticancer drugs reviewed by constantini et al, such trilipix and coumadin as betulinic acid, lonidamine, ceramide and cd have been found to trilipix and coumadin act directly on mitochondria, resulting in triggering apoptosis in order to maximize the therapeutic potential of such anticancer drugs, which trilipix and coumadin are known to act at or inside mitochondria, the use of dqasomes as a mitochondriaspecific drug delivery system has been proposed hypothetically, dqasomebased anticancer chemotherapy entails features which would make it trilipix and coumadin putatively superior to conventional chemotherapeutic approaches on the cellular, as well trilipix and coumadin as the subcellular level firstly, the delivery of drugs known trilipix and coumadin to act directly on mitochondria may trigger apoptosis in circumstances in which conventional drugs fail to act, because endogenous, upstream of mitochondria apoptosis induction pathways are disrupted secondly, transporting the cytotoxic drug to its intracellular target could overcome multidrug resistance by hiding the drug inside the delivery system until it becomes selectively released at the particular intracellular site of action, ie mitochondria thirdly, many carcinoma cells, including human breast adenocarcinoma derived cells, have an elevated plasma membrane potential relative to their normal trilipix and coumadin parent cell lines in addition to the higher mitochondrial membrane potential, trilipix and coumadin they could provide the basis for a doubletargeting effect of trilipix and coumadin dqasomes, ie on the cellular level normal cells vs carcinoma trilipix and coumadin cells, and on the subcellular level mitochondria versus nucleus first data trilipix and coumadin involving the encapsulation of anticancer drugs into dqasomes have been trilipix and coumadin published most recently in this study, paclitaxel was chosen as a model compound paclitaxel is known as a potent antitubulin agent trilipix and coumadin used in the treatment of malignancies its therapeutic potential, however, trilipix and coumadin is limited due to a very narrow span between the maximal tolerated dose and intolerable toxic levels in addition, its poor trilipix and coumadin aqueous solubility requires the formulation of emulsions containing cremophor el�, an oil of considerable toxicity by itself recently, it has been demonstrated that clinically relevant concentrations of paclitaxel target mitochondria directly and trigger apoptosis by inducing cytochrome � release in a permeability transition pore ptpdependent manner this mechanism of action is known from the other proapoptotic, directly on mitochondria acting agents a hour delay between the treatment with paclitaxel or with other ptp inducers, and the release of cytochrome � in cellfree systems, compared with intact cells, has been explained by the existence of several drug targets inside the cell, making only a subset of the drug available for mitochondria consequently, paclitaxel was trilipix and coumadin considered a prime candidate to benefit from a mitochondriaspecific drug delivery system such as dqasomes it was demonstrated that paclitaxel can trilipix and coumadin be incorporated into dqasomes at a stoichiometric molar ratio of paclitaxel to dequalinium considering the known spherical character of dqasomes, trilipix and coumadin the results of an electron microscopic em analysis of dequasomal incorporated paclitaxel, however, seem rather surprising the transmission em image fig , left panel and the cryoem image fig of an identical sample show a remarkable conformity worm or rodlike structures approximately nm in length, the size of which could also be confirmed by the size distribution analysis shown in fig , right panel trilipix and coumadin the molecular structureof this wormlike complex remains to be determined nevertheless trilipix and coumadin fig left panel transmission electron microscopic image uranyl acetate staining of dqasomal incorporated paclitaxel mol taxolmol dequalinium right panel size distribution analysis of identical preparation shown in left panel the formation trilipix and coumadin of wormlike micelles as described for selfassembling amphiphilic block does caffeine cause inflammation copolymers appears possible � s � i in a preliminary study, paclitaxelloaded dqasomes were tested for their ability to inhibit the growth of human colon cancer cells in nude mice for controls with free paclitaxel, the drug was suspended in dmso at trilipix and coumadin mm, stored at �c and immediately diluted in warm medium before use in all controls, the respective dose of free paclitaxel trilipix and coumadin and empty dqasomes was adjusted according to the dose of trilipix and coumadin paclitaxel and dequalinium given in the paclitaxelloaded dqasome sample due to trilipix and coumadin the lack of any inhibitory effect on tumor growth, the dose was tripled after weeks figure shows that at concentrations where free paclitaxel and r hepes buffer v free paclitaxel empty dqasomes ?