Calcium phosphate formation in aqueous suspensions of multilamellar liposomes

The present study examined calcium phosphate precipitation in aqueous suspensions of multilamellar liposomes as a possible in vitro model for matrix vesicle mineralization. Liposomes were prepared by dispersing CHCl3-evaporated thin films of 7:2:1 and 7:1:1 molar mixtures of phosphatidylcholine, dicetyl phosphate, and cholesterol in aqueous solutions containing 0, 25, or 50 mM PO4 and 0 or 0.8 mM Mg. After removal of unencapsulated PO4 by gel filtration, the liposomes were suspended in 1.33 mM Ca/0.8 mM Mg solutions and made permeable to these cations by the addition of the ionophore X-537A. All experiments were carried out at pH 7.4, 22 degrees C, and 240 mOsm. In the absence of entrapped PO4, Ca2+ taken up by the liposomes was largely bound to inner membrane surfaces. With PO4 present, Ca2+ uptake increased as much as sixfold with maximum accumulations well above values sufficient for solid formation. Precipitated solids appeared to be located predominantly in the aqueous intermembranous spaces of the liposomes. Amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) precipitated initially in the presence of entrapped Mg2+, then subsequently converted to apatite intermixed with some octacalcium phosphate. The stability of the liposomal ACP was somewhat greater than that observed in bulk solutions under comparable conditions of pH, temperature, and electrolyte makeup. In time, the mineral deposits caused entrapped PO4 to leak from the liposomes. These findings suggest that the precipitation within liposomes is similar to that which occurs in macro-volume synthetic systems but that the precipitated solid eventually impairs the integrity of the surrounding intermembranous space.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)