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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Preparation, Purification, and Use of Fatty Acid-containing Liposomes
Published on: February 9, 2018
Aggregate formation in the intercalation of long-chain fatty acid esters into liposomes
Yael Cohen1, Michal Afri, Aryeh A Frimer
1Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel.
Abstract:
Various hydrophobic benzenediacetic esters, the corresponding benzenedipropionic esters, and branched alkyl esters were intercalated into DMPC liposomes, where the molar ratio (n/n) of ester:DMPC was 1:5. In the case of the very long-chain derivatives, double carbonyl peaks were observed in the 13C NMR spectrum. This doubling phenomenon was observed only for the carbonyl peaks, whose chemical shift is most sensitive to solvent polarity, and disappeared when the ester:DMPC molar ratio drops below 1:15. This doubling reflects the presence of two populations in these samples: one group includes those molecules which are intercalated within the liposome and feel the polarity corresponding to the liposomal microenvironment; the other consists of aggregates of these long-chain derivatives located in the extra-liposomal aqueous phase.
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