Flow cytometric analysis of liposome-nuclei interaction: transfer and intranuclear release of carboxyfluorescein.

Flow cytometric analysis of the transfer of liposome-encapsulated carboxyfluorescein to isolated rat liver nuclei indicated that the fluorophore is actively taken up in this form, while negligible amounts are transferred when the dye is free in the reaction medium. The kinetic analysis of the uptake indicated a time- and dose-dependent reduction of the slope in the absence of transport saturable sites on the nuclear surface and of quenching phenomena. The comparison between entire and membrane-deprived nuclei demonstrated that the initial rate of uptake was higher in the absence of the complete nuclear envelope. The intranuclear binding sites were considered on the basis of the fluorescence distribution and of quantitative estimates of the amount of linked dye. The possibility of employing flow cytometry to monitor the interactions between liposomes and isolated nuclei by means of a fluorescent probe is discussed.