Gel-exclusion chromatography on S1000 Sephacryl: application to phospholipid vesicles

Sephacryl S1000 has an exclusion diameter of approximately 3000 A and is thus an appropriate gel exclusion medium for size analysis and fractionation of phospholipid vesicles. Calibration is conveniently carried out using polystyrene beads of known diameter eluted with a detergent-containing buffer. Recovery of phospholipid vesicles of different sizes from S1000 presaturated with lipid is greater than 95%, and diameters obtained from a calibration curve using the polystyrene beads are in good agreement with those obtained by negative contrast electron microscopy.