Bottom-up cubosome synthesis without organic solvents

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Bottom-up synthesis of cubosomes offers energetic advantages over top-down methods.
• Conventional bottom-up approaches often utilize organic solvents (e.g., ethanol) and can result in co-formation of liposomes.
• There is a need for safer, more cost-effective, and efficient cubosome synthesis methods for drug delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of non-toxic diluents for the bottom-up synthesis of cubosomes.
• To determine if alternative diluents can prevent the concurrent formation of liposomes.
• To establish a low-toxicity, potentially lower-cost method for cubosome production.

Main Methods:

• Cubosomes were synthesized using phytantriol in various diluents: choline chloride-glycerol, honey, lactic acid, glycerol, and ethanol.
• Diluent solutions were added dropwise to an aqueous solution of poloxamer 407.
• Characterization involved small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM).

Main Results:

• Successful cubosome formation was achieved using a range of non-toxic diluents, including honey, glycerol, and lactic acid.
• The use of these non-toxic diluents eliminated the need for organic solvents like ethanol.
• Crucially, these alternative diluents prevented the co-formation of liposomes, which was observed with ethanol.
• The findings indicate that the diluents do not need to be hydrotropes for successful cubosome synthesis.

Conclusions:

• Non-toxic diluents such as honey, glycerol, and lactic acid are effective for the bottom-up synthesis of cubosomes.
• This novel approach circumvents the need for hazardous organic solvents and avoids liposome formation.
• The developed method presents a promising, low-cost, and low-toxicity alternative for cubosome production, particularly for drug delivery applications.