Unilamellar liposome

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A unilamellar liposome is a spherical liposome, a vesicle, bounded by a single bilayer of an amphiphilic lipid or a mixture of such lipids, containing aqueous solution inside the chamber. Unilamellar liposomes are used to study biological systems and to mimic cell membranes, and are classified into three groups based on their size: small unilamellar liposomes/vesicles (SUVs) that with a size range of 20–100 nm, large unilamellar liposomes/vesicles (LUVs) with a size range of 100–1000 nm and giant unilamellar liposomes/vesicles (GUVs) with a size range of 1–200 µm. [1] GUVs are mostly used as models for biological membranes in research work. [2] Animal cells are 10–30 µm and plant cells are typically 10–100 µm. Even smaller cell organelles such as mitochondria are typically 1–2 µm. Therefore, a proper model should account for the size of the specimen being studied. [1] In addition, the size of vesicles dictates their membrane curvature which is an important factor in studying fusion proteins. SUVs have a higher membrane curvature and vesicles with high membrane curvature can promote membrane fusion faster than vesicles with lower membrane curvature such as GUVs. [3]

Contents

The composition and characteristics of the cell membrane varies in different cells (plant cells, mammalian cells, bacterial cells, etc). In a membrane bilayer, often the composition of the phospholipids is different between the inner and outer leaflets. Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, and sphingomyelin are some of the most common lipids most animal cell membranes. These lipids are widely different in charge, length, and saturation state. The presence of unsaturated bonds (double bonds) in lipids for example, creates a kink in acyl chains which further changes the lipid packing and results in a looser packing. [4] [5] Therefore, the composition and sizes of the unilamellar liposomes must be chosen carefully based on the subject of the study.

Each lipid bilayer structure is comparable to lamellar phase lipid organization in biological membranes, in general. In contrast, multilamellar liposomes (MLVs), consist of many concentric amphiphilic lipid bilayers analogous to onion layers, and MLVs may be of variable sizes up to several micrometers.

Preparation

Small unilamellar vesicles and large unilamellar vesicles

There are several methods to prepare unilamellar liposomes and the protocols differ based on the type of desired unilamellar vesicles. Different lipids can be bought either dissolved in chloroform or as lyophilized lipids. In the case of lyophilized lipids, they can be solubilized in chloroform. Lipids are then mixed with a desired molar ratio. Then chloroform is evaporated using a gentle stream of nitrogen (to avoid oxygen contact and oxidation of lipids) at room temperature. A rotary evaporator can be used to form a homogeneous layer of liposomes. This step removes the bulk of chloroform. To remove the residues of trapped chloroform, lipids are placed under vacuum from several hours to overnight. Next step is re-hydration where the dried lipids are re-suspended in the desired buffer. Lipids can be vortexed for several minutes to insure that all the lipid residues get re-suspended. SUVs can be obtained in via two methods. Either by sonication (for instance with 1 second pulses in 3 Hz cycles at a power of 150 W) or by extrusion. In extrusion method, the lipid mixture is passed through a membrane for 10 or more times. [6] [7] Depending on the size of the membrane, either SUVs or LUVs can be obtained. Keeping vesicles under argon and away from oxygen and light can extend their lifetime.

Giant unilamellar vesicles

Natural swelling: in this method soluble lipids in chloroform are pipetted on a Teflon ring. The chloroform is allowed to evaporate and the ring is then placed under the vacuum for several hours. Next the aqueous buffer is added gently over the Teflon ring and lipids are allowed to naturally swell to form GUVs overnight. the disadvantage of this method is that a large amount of multilamellar vesicles and lipid debris are formed.

Electroformation: In this method lipids are placed on a conductive cover glass (indium tin oxide or ITO coated glass) or on Pt wires instead of a Teflon ring and after vacuuming, buffer is placed on the dried lipids and it is sandwiched using a second conductive cover glass. Next an electrical field with certain frequency and voltage is applied which promotes formation of GUVs. For polyunsaturated lipids, this technique can induce a significant oxidation effect on the vesicles. [8] Nevertheless, it is a very common and reliable technique to generate GUVs. Modified approaches exist that employ gel-assisted swelling (agarose-assisted swelling or PVA-assisted swelling) for the formation of GUVs under more biologically relevant conditions. [9]

A variety of methods exist to encapsulate biological reactants within GUVs by using water-oil interfaces as a scaffold to assemble lipid layers. This allows the use GUVs as cell-like membrane containers for the in vitro recreation (and investigation) of biological functions. [10] These encapsulation methods include microfluidic methods, which allow for a high-yield production of vesicles with consistent sizes. [11]

Applications

Phospholipid liposomes are used as targeted drug delivery systems. [12] Hydrophilic drugs can be carried as solution inside the SUVs or MLVs and hydrophobic drugs can be incorporated into lipid bilayer of these liposomes. If injected into circulation of human/animal body, MLVs are preferentially taken up phagocytic cells, and thus drugs can be targeted to these cells. For general or overall delivery, SUVs may be used. For topical applications on skin, specialized lipids like phospholipids and sphingolipids may be used to make drug-free liposomes as moisturizers, and with drugs such as for anti-ultraviolet radiation applications.

In biomedical research, unilamellar liposomes are extremely useful to study biological systems and mimicking cell functions. [1] [10] As a living cell is very complicated to study, unilamellar liposomes provide a simple tool to study membrane interaction events such as membrane fusion, protein localization in the plasma membrane, study ion channels, etc.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biological membrane</span> Enclosing or separating membrane in organisms acting as selective semi-permeable barrier

A biological membrane, biomembrane or cell membrane is a selectively permeable membrane that separates the interior of a cell from the external environment or creates intracellular compartments by serving as a boundary between one part of the cell and another. Biological membranes, in the form of eukaryotic cell membranes, consist of a phospholipid bilayer with embedded, integral and peripheral proteins used in communication and transportation of chemicals and ions. The bulk of lipids in a cell membrane provides a fluid matrix for proteins to rotate and laterally diffuse for physiological functioning. Proteins are adapted to high membrane fluidity environment of the lipid bilayer with the presence of an annular lipid shell, consisting of lipid molecules bound tightly to the surface of integral membrane proteins. The cell membranes are different from the isolating tissues formed by layers of cells, such as mucous membranes, basement membranes, and serous membranes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phospholipid</span> Class of lipids

Phospholipids are a class of lipids whose molecule has a hydrophilic "head" containing a phosphate group and two hydrophobic "tails" derived from fatty acids, joined by an alcohol residue. Marine phospholipids typically have omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA integrated as part of the phospholipid molecule. The phosphate group can be modified with simple organic molecules such as choline, ethanolamine or serine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vesicle (biology and chemistry)</span> Any small, fluid-filled, spherical organelle enclosed by a membrane

In cell biology, a vesicle is a structure within or outside a cell, consisting of liquid or cytoplasm enclosed by a lipid bilayer. Vesicles form naturally during the processes of secretion (exocytosis), uptake (endocytosis), and the transport of materials within the plasma membrane. Alternatively, they may be prepared artificially, in which case they are called liposomes. If there is only one phospholipid bilayer, the vesicles are called unilamellar liposomes; otherwise they are called multilamellar liposomes. The membrane enclosing the vesicle is also a lamellar phase, similar to that of the plasma membrane, and intracellular vesicles can fuse with the plasma membrane to release their contents outside the cell. Vesicles can also fuse with other organelles within the cell. A vesicle released from the cell is known as an extracellular vesicle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lipid bilayer</span> Membrane of two layers of lipid molecules

The lipid bilayer is a thin polar membrane made of two layers of lipid molecules. These membranes are flat sheets that form a continuous barrier around all cells. The cell membranes of almost all organisms and many viruses are made of a lipid bilayer, as are the nuclear membrane surrounding the cell nucleus, and membranes of the membrane-bound organelles in the cell. The lipid bilayer is the barrier that keeps ions, proteins and other molecules where they are needed and prevents them from diffusing into areas where they should not be. Lipid bilayers are ideally suited to this role, even though they are only a few nanometers in width, because they are impermeable to most water-soluble (hydrophilic) molecules. Bilayers are particularly impermeable to ions, which allows cells to regulate salt concentrations and pH by transporting ions across their membranes using proteins called ion pumps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fluid mosaic model</span> Describe the fluid mosaic model of plasma membrane

The fluid mosaic model explains various characteristics regarding the structure of functional cell membranes. According to this biological model, there is a lipid bilayer in which protein molecules are embedded. The phospholipid bilayer gives fluidity and elasticity to the membrane. Small amounts of carbohydrates are also found in the cell membrane. The biological model, which was devised by Seymour Jonathan Singer and Garth L. Nicolson in 1972, describes the cell membrane as a two-dimensional liquid that restricts the lateral diffusion of membrane components. Such domains are defined by the existence of regions within the membrane with special lipid and protein cocoon that promote the formation of lipid rafts or protein and glycoprotein complexes. Another way to define membrane domains is the association of the lipid membrane with the cytoskeleton filaments and the extracellular matrix through membrane proteins. The current model describes important features relevant to many cellular processes, including: cell-cell signaling, apoptosis, cell division, membrane budding, and cell fusion. The fluid mosaic model is the most acceptable model of the plasma membrane. In this definition of the cell membrane, its main function is to act as a barrier between the contents inside the cell and the extracellular environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liposome</span> Composite structures made of phospholipids and may contain small amounts of other molecules

A liposome is a small artificial vesicle, spherical in shape, having at least one lipid bilayer. Due to their hydrophobicity and/or hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, particle size and many other properties, liposomes can be used as drug delivery vehicles for administration of pharmaceutical drugs and nutrients, such as lipid nanoparticles in mRNA vaccines, and DNA vaccines. Liposomes can be prepared by disrupting biological membranes.

Phosphatidic acids are anionic phospholipids important to cell signaling and direct activation of lipid-gated ion channels. Hydrolysis of phosphatidic acid gives rise to one molecule each of glycerol and phosphoric acid and two molecules of fatty acids. They constitute about 0.25% of phospholipids in the bilayer.

A lamella in biology refers to a thin layer, membrane or plate of tissue. This is a very broad definition, and can refer to many different structures. Any thin layer of organic tissue can be called a lamella and there is a wide array of functions an individual layer can serve. For example, an intercellular lipid lamella is formed when lamellar disks fuse to form a lamellar sheet. It is believed that these disks are formed from vesicles, giving the lamellar sheet a lipid bilayer that plays a role in water diffusion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virosome</span> Drug or vaccine delivery mechanism

A virosome is a drug or vaccine delivery mechanism consisting of unilamellar phospholipid membrane vesicle incorporating virus derived proteins to allow the virosomes to fuse with target cells. Viruses are infectious agents that can replicate in their host organism, however virosomes do not replicate. The properties that virosomes share with viruses are based on their structure; virosomes are essentially safely modified viral envelopes that contain the phospholipid membrane and surface glycoproteins. As a drug or vaccine delivery mechanism they are biologically compatible with many host organisms and are also biodegradable. The use of reconstituted virally derived proteins in the formation of the virosome allows for the utilization of what would otherwise be the immunogenic properties of a live-attenuated virus, but is instead a safely killed virus. A safely killed virus can serve as a promising vector because it won't cause infection and the viral structure allows the virosome to recognize specific components of its target cells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cationic liposome</span>

Cationic liposomes are spherical structures that contain positively charged lipids. Cationic liposomes can vary in size between 40 nm and 500 nm, and they can either have one lipid bilayer (monolamellar) or multiple lipid bilayers (multilamellar). The positive charge of the phospholipids allows cationic liposomes to form complexes with negatively charged nucleic acids through ionic interactions. Upon interacting with nucleic acids, cationic liposomes form clusters of aggregated vesicles. These interactions allow cationic liposomes to condense and encapsulate various therapeutic and diagnostic agents in their aqueous compartment or in their lipid bilayer. These cationic liposome-nucleic acid complexes are also referred to as lipoplexes. Due to the overall positive charge of cationic liposomes, they interact with negatively charged cell membranes more readily than classic liposomes. This positive charge can also create some issues in vivo, such as binding to plasma proteins in the bloodstream, which leads to opsonization. These issues can be reduced by optimizing the physical and chemical properties of cationic liposomes through their lipid composition. Cationic liposomes are increasingly being researched for use as delivery vectors in gene therapy due to their capability to efficiently transfect cells. A common application for cationic liposomes is cancer drug delivery.

A cell membrane defines a boundary between a cell and its environment. The primary constituent of a membrane is a phospholipid bilayer that forms in a water-based environment due to the hydrophilic nature of the lipid head and the hydrophobic nature of the two tails. In addition there are other lipids and proteins in the membrane, the latter typically in the form of isolated rafts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lipid polymorphism</span>

Polymorphism in biophysics is the ability of lipids to aggregate in a variety of ways, giving rise to structures of different shapes, known as "phases". This can be in the form of spheres of lipid molecules (micelles), pairs of layers that face one another, a tubular arrangement (hexagonal), or various cubic phases. More complicated aggregations have also been observed, such as rhombohedral, tetragonal and orthorhombic phases.

Lipid bilayer mechanics is the study of the physical material properties of lipid bilayers, classifying bilayer behavior with stress and strain rather than biochemical interactions. Local point deformations such as membrane protein interactions are typically modelled with the complex theory of biological liquid crystals but the mechanical properties of a homogeneous bilayer are often characterized in terms of only three mechanical elastic moduli: the area expansion modulus Ka, a bending modulus Kb and an edge energy . For fluid bilayers the shear modulus is by definition zero, as the free rearrangement of molecules within plane means that the structure will not support shear stresses. These mechanical properties affect several membrane-mediated biological processes. In particular, the values of Ka and Kb affect the ability of proteins and small molecules to insert into the bilayer. Bilayer mechanical properties have also been shown to alter the function of mechanically activated ion channels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lipid bilayer fusion</span>

In membrane biology, fusion is the process by which two initially distinct lipid bilayers merge their hydrophobic cores, resulting in one interconnected structure. If this fusion proceeds completely through both leaflets of both bilayers, an aqueous bridge is formed and the internal contents of the two structures can mix. Alternatively, if only one leaflet from each bilayer is involved in the fusion process, the bilayers are said to be hemifused. In hemifusion, the lipid constituents of the outer leaflet of the two bilayers can mix, but the inner leaflets remain distinct. The aqueous contents enclosed by each bilayer also remain separated.

A model lipid bilayer is any bilayer assembled in vitro, as opposed to the bilayer of natural cell membranes or covering various sub-cellular structures like the nucleus. They are used to study the fundamental properties of biological membranes in a simplified and well-controlled environment, and increasingly in bottom-up synthetic biology for the construction of artificial cells. A model bilayer can be made with either synthetic or natural lipids. The simplest model systems contain only a single pure synthetic lipid. More physiologically relevant model bilayers can be made with mixtures of several synthetic or natural lipids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cell membrane</span> Biological membrane that separates the interior of a cell from its outside environment

The cell membrane is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of a cell from the outside environment. The cell membrane consists of a lipid bilayer, made up of two layers of phospholipids with cholesterols interspersed between them, maintaining appropriate membrane fluidity at various temperatures. The membrane also contains membrane proteins, including integral proteins that span the membrane and serve as membrane transporters, and peripheral proteins that loosely attach to the outer (peripheral) side of the cell membrane, acting as enzymes to facilitate interaction with the cell's environment. Glycolipids embedded in the outer lipid layer serve a similar purpose. The cell membrane controls the movement of substances in and out of a cell, being selectively permeable to ions and organic molecules. In addition, cell membranes are involved in a variety of cellular processes such as cell adhesion, ion conductivity, and cell signalling and serve as the attachment surface for several extracellular structures, including the cell wall and the carbohydrate layer called the glycocalyx, as well as the intracellular network of protein fibers called the cytoskeleton. In the field of synthetic biology, cell membranes can be artificially reassembled.

A vesosome is a multi-compartmental structure of lipidic nature used to deliver drugs. They can be considered multivesicular vesicles (MVV) and are, therefore, liposome-derived structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamellar phase</span>

Lamellar phase refers generally to packing of polar-headed long chain nonpolar-tail molecules in an environment of bulk polar liquid, as sheets of bilayers separated by bulk liquid. In biophysics, polar lipids pack as a liquid crystalline bilayer, with hydrophobic fatty acyl long chains directed inwardly and polar headgroups of lipids aligned on the outside in contact with water, as a 2-dimensional flat sheet surface. Under transmission electron microscope (TEM), after staining with polar headgroup reactive chemical osmium tetroxide, lamellar lipid phase appears as two thin parallel dark staining lines/sheets, constituted by aligned polar headgroups of lipids. 'Sandwiched' between these two parallel lines, there exists one thicker line/sheet of non-staining closely packed layer of long lipid fatty acyl chains. This TEM-appearance became famous as Robertson's unit membrane - the basis of all biological membranes, and structure of lipid bilayer in unilamellar liposomes. In multilamellar liposomes, many such lipid bilayer sheets are layered concentrically with water layers in between.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liposome extruder</span> Lab equipment

A liposome extruder is a device that prepares cell membranes, exosomes and also generates nanoscale liposome formulations. The liposome extruder employs the track-etched membrane to filter huge particles and achieve sterile filtration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invasomes</span> Drug delivery method, transdermal drug delivery

An invasome are a type of artificial vesicle nanocarrier that transport substances through the skin, the most superficial biological barrier. Vesicles are small particles surrounded by a lipid layer that can carry substances into and out of the cell. Artificial vesicles can be engineered to deliver drugs within the cell, with specific applications within transdermal drug delivery. However, the skin proves to be a barrier to effective penetration and delivery of drug therapies. Thus, invasomes are a new generation of vesicle with added structural components to assist with skin penetration.

References

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  2. ↑ Wesołowska O, Michalak K, Maniewska J, Hendrich AB (2009). "Giant unilamellar vesicles - a perfect tool to visualize phase separation and lipid rafts in model systems". Acta Biochimica Polonica. 56 (1): 33–9. doi: 10.18388/abp.2009_2514 . PMID   19287805.
  3. ↑ Tareste D, Shen J, Melia TJ, Rothman JE (February 2008). "SNAREpin/Munc18 promotes adhesion and fusion of large vesicles to giant membranes". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 105 (7): 2380–5. Bibcode:2008PNAS..105.2380T. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0712125105 . PMC   2268145 . PMID   18268324.
  4. ↑ Alberts B, Johnson A, Lewis J, Raff M, Roberts K, Walter P (2002). "The Lipid Bilayer". Molecular Biology of the Cell (4th ed.).
  5. ↑ Weijers RN (September 2012). "Lipid composition of cell membranes and its relevance in type 2 diabetes mellitus". Current Diabetes Reviews. 8 (5): 390–400. doi:10.2174/157339912802083531. PMC   3474953 . PMID   22698081.
  6. ↑ "Preparing Large, Unilamellar Vesicles by Extrusion (LUVET) | Avanti Polar Lipids". Avanti Polar Lipids. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
  7. ↑ Cho NJ, Hwang LY, Solandt JJ, Frank CW (August 2013). "Comparison of Extruded and Sonicated Vesicles for Planar Bilayer Self-Assembly". Materials. 6 (8): 3294–3308. Bibcode:2013Mate....6.3294C. doi: 10.3390/ma6083294 . PMC   5521307 . PMID   28811437.
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  9. ↑ Stein H, Spindler S, Bonakdar N, Wang C, Sandoghdar V (2017). "Production of Isolated Giant Unilamellar Vesicles under High Salt Concentrations". Frontiers in Physiology. 8: 63. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00063 . PMC   5303729 . PMID   28243205.
  10. 1 2 Litschel T, Schwille P (March 2021). "Protein Reconstitution Inside Giant Unilamellar Vesicles". Annual Review of Biophysics. 50: 525–548. doi:10.1146/annurev-biophys-100620-114132. PMID   33667121. S2CID   232131463.
  11. ↑ Sato Y, Takinoue M (March 2019). "Creation of Artificial Cell-Like Structures Promoted by Microfluidics Technologies". Micromachines. 10 (4): 216. doi: 10.3390/mi10040216 . PMC   6523379 . PMID   30934758.
  12. ↑ Noyhouzer T, L'Homme C, Beaulieu I, Mazurkiewicz S, Kuss S, Kraatz HB, et al. (May 2016). "Ferrocene-Modified Phospholipid: An Innovative Precursor for Redox-Triggered Drug Delivery Vesicles Selective to Cancer Cells". Langmuir. 32 (17): 4169–78. doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b00511. PMID   26987014.
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