Polymer-Functionalized Liposomes as Universal Nanocarriers for Drug Delivery: Single Particle Insights on...

Area of Science:

• Nanomedicine
• Materials Science
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Liposomes are common drug delivery vehicles but face challenges like instability and cargo leakage.
• Existing liposomes lack sufficient response mechanisms and detailed understanding of size-dependent performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer polymer-modified liposomes (PMLs) with enhanced structural integrity, cargo compatibility, and stimulus-responsive release.
• To characterize PMLs at the single-particle level to understand structure-function relationships.

Main Methods:

• Single-particle characterization of polymer-modified liposomes (PMLs).
• Assessment of cargo encapsulation versatility (small molecules, oligonucleotides, proteins).
• In vitro studies on cellular uptake, cytotoxicity with 5-fluorouracil, and siRNA delivery efficacy.

Main Results:

• Small PMLs (<100 nm) exhibited higher cargo packing density; release was size-independent.
• PMLs demonstrated broad cargo compatibility and high cellular internalization rates.
• Anticancer drug delivery reduced cell viability by ~50%, and siRNA achieved 10-12% eGFP knockdown.

Conclusions:

• PMLs offer a robust and versatile platform for nanomedicine applications.
• High-resolution profiling enables rational design of tunable liposomes for next-generation drug delivery.
• This work provides a framework for advanced functional profiling of liposomal systems.