Cellular uptake study of antimycotic-loaded carriers using imaging flow cytometry and confocal laser scanning microscopy

The development and optimization of remote drug delivery systems is a flourishing branch of pharmacy. There is a number of requirements for such systems, among which are biocompatibility and, in some cases, the efficiency of intracellular delivery. The cellular survival after the carrier entrapment is an indirect evidence of biocompatibility of the applied system. The internalization process, as well as main characteristics of carriers themselves can be investigated by imaging flow cytometry and confocal laser scanning microscopy. However, the protocols of carriers' characterization and the assessment of their uptake efficiency are needed to be improved. In this work, we optimized the evaluation technic for particles' internalization process by imaging flow cytometry. The confocal laser scanning microscopy was applied as a control method of the particle uptake investigation. The comparative research showed a good correlation between the obtained data. Thus, the high throughput capability of imaging flow cytometry together with the optimized technic of the determination of particle localization inside the cell will further allow us to estimate faster the internalization efficiency of the object under investigation.