*2.4. The In Vivo Biocompatibility Evaluation of Chitosan-Coated Liposomes Entrapping DEX*

The tested substances were administered in rats, in order to assess the in vivo biocompatibility and to estimate the effects on the somatic nociceptive reactivity.

Three groups of six rats (weighting 200–250 g each, 10 weeks old), with equal distribution of the sexes were used in the experiment. The animals receiving the tested substances orally (using an eso-gastric tube), were as follows:


White, specific-pathogen-free (SPF), healthy Wistar rats were used in the experiment; the rats had no genetic modifications and were provided by the National Medical-Military Institute for Research and Development "Cantacuzino", Baneasa Station, Bucuresti, Romania.

The animal groups were randomly set, and no inclusion-exclusion criteria of animals were used in the experiment.

The biocompatibility of liposomes containing DEX was estimated by evaluating their effects on the hematological, biochemical, and immunological parameters after the administration in rats. The tested drugs were administered in a single dose in the first day of the experiment, and one day and seven days after substances administration, blood samples were collected from the lateral caudal vein, to evaluate the white blood count (polymorphonuclear neutrophils, PMN; lymphocytes, Ly; eosinophils, E; monocytes, M; basophils, B), the liver enzyme activity (aspartate transaminase, AST; alanine aminotransferase, ALT; lactate dehydrogenase, LDH), the serum level of urea and creatinine, and also the complement activity and the phagocytic capacity of peripheral neutrophils (PC) [34,35].
