Electroformation of liposomes and phytosomes using copper electrode

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Liposomes and phytosomes are crucial nanocarriers in drug delivery and research.
• Traditional methods for vesicle formation can be complex and costly.
• Developing efficient and scalable methods for vesicle production is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel, cost-effective electroformation technique for liposomes and phytosomes.
• To characterize the properties of vesicles produced using copper electrodes.
• To demonstrate the applicability of the method for encapsulating phytochemicals.

Main Methods:

• Electroformation of liposomes and phytosomes using a copper electrode under specific AC field conditions (voltage and frequency).
• Characterization of vesicle size, unilamellarity, surface charge, and lipid oxidation.
• Quantification of copper ion contamination within the vesicles.
• Assessment of vesicle stability over time.
• Preparation and characterization of phytosomes with a specific phytochemical fraction.

Main Results:

• Liposomes with diameters ranging from 281.3 ± 42.3 nm to 825.3 ± 21.54 nm were formed.
• Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) of 86 ± 24.3 µm to 106 ± 29.7 µm were produced.
• All vesicles exhibited high unilamellarity (50 ± 2) and low lipid oxidation (1-2 mol%).
• Copper contamination was minimal (<1.5 ppm for LUVs, <5 ppm for GUVs).
• Phytosomes demonstrated altered optical properties and high encapsulation efficiency (90-30%) with good stability.

Conclusions:

• The novel copper electrode electroformation method is simple, inexpensive, and effective for producing stable liposomes and phytosomes.
• The method yields vesicles with desirable characteristics for potential applications.
• This technique provides a convenient platform for the preparation of nanocarriers for both synthetic lipids and natural compounds.