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Preparation and Characterization of Nanoliposomes for the Entrapment of Bioactive Hydrophilic Globular Proteins
Published on: August 31, 2019
Encapsulation of hemoglobin in non-phospholipid vesicles
K D Vandegriff1, D F Wallach, R M Winslow
1Blood Cells, Inc., La Jolla, CA.
Summary
This study investigated hemoglobin encapsulation in non-phospholipid liposomes. The highest encapsulation efficiency of 30% was achieved using a 4:1 aqueous to lipid hydration ratio at 5.6 mM hemoglobin concentration.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Liposomes are versatile drug delivery vehicles.
- Non-phospholipid liposomes offer unique properties for encapsulation.
- Hemoglobin encapsulation is crucial for developing artificial oxygen carriers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficiency of encapsulating human hemoglobin in non-phospholipid liposomes.
- To determine the optimal conditions for hemoglobin encapsulation.
Main Methods:
- Rapidly mixing heated hemoglobin with a lipid solution (polyoxyethylene-2 cetyl ether and cholesterol).
- Utilizing high-shear mixing and rapid cooling to form lipid vesicles.
- Employing centrifugation to separate encapsulated hemoglobin and spectrophotometry for quantification.
Main Results:
- Lipid vesicles exhibited heterogeneous sizes, ranging from 300 nm to 10 microns.
- Encapsulation efficiency varied between 13% and 30%.
- Optimal encapsulation efficiency of 30% was observed at a 4:1 aqueous to lipid hydration ratio and 5.6 mM hemoglobin concentration.
Conclusions:
- Non-phospholipid liposomes can efficiently encapsulate hemoglobin.
- The aqueous to lipid hydration ratio significantly impacts hemoglobin encapsulation efficiency.
- This method shows promise for developing hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers.
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