Lipophilic wrapping paper is helping lanthanides cross into cells. Chris Orvig, Kishor Wasan and co-workers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, say that their ion delivery method could lead to osteoporosis treatments. Lanthanides are already used in medicine as, for example, anticancer drugs. A limitation of lanthanide ions as orally-administered drugs is their poor ability to cross cell membranes, particularly the intestine. To improve lanthanide bioavailability, Orvig's team masked lanthanide ions in complexes with lipophilic hydroxypyridinones and hydroxypyrones.
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