A study of liposome formation using a solution (isoperibol) calorimeter

A solution (isoperibol) calorimeter has been employed to study the process of formation of phospholipid vesicles from natural and synthetic phospholipid films. Phospholipid films were hydrated in the solution calorimeter at temperatures exceeding the main phospholipid phase transition temperature, with continuous agitation to ensure conversion of the hydrating bilayers into multilamellar liposomes. It was seen that retention of chloroform in phospholipid films altered the apparent enthalpy change of vesicle formation to a far greater extent than would be expected from the contribution of the enthalpy of solution of chloroform; this indicates that chloroform alters the hydration process of the lipid. The overall measured enthalpy change for the formation of egg phosphatidylcholine vesicles was exothermic, whilst that for dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine was endothermic. This difference, it is suggested, results from the influence of the hydrocarbon chains mostly on the hydration process and also on the process of vesicle formation.