Spontaneously formed robust steroidal vesicles: physicochemical characterization and interaction with HSA

Area of Science:

• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Biophysics

Background:

• Vesicles are crucial as model membranes and drug delivery systems.
• Developing stable, biocompatible vesicles that self-assemble in water is a key challenge.
• Cholesterol-based surfactants offer unique properties for vesicle formation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the physicochemical properties of a novel cholesterol-based chiral surfactant with an L-alanine headgroup.
• To investigate the self-assembly behavior and stability of the resulting vesicles in aqueous solution.
• To explore the potential applications of these vesicles, including their interaction with biological molecules.

Main Methods:

• Surface tensiometry
• Fluorescence spectroscopy
• Dynamic light scattering (DLS)
• UV-vis spectroscopy
• Transmission electron microscopy (TEM)
• Confocal fluorescence microscopy

Main Results:

• The surfactant self-assembles into unilamellar vesicles above a low critical aggregation concentration, driven by cholesterol moiety association.
• The vesicles exhibit remarkable stability against aging, temperature, and pH variations.
• Vesicle fusion was observed, forming larger unilamellar vesicles, attributed to hydrophobic interactions between steroidal skeletons.

Conclusions:

• A novel cholesterol-based chiral surfactant forms highly stable unilamellar vesicles in aqueous solution.
• The observed vesicle stability and fusion properties suggest significant potential for advanced drug delivery systems and biomimetic membrane research.
• Further investigation into the interaction of these vesicles with biological components like human serum albumin is warranted.