Liposomes are composed of different kinds of lipids or lipophilic substances and are used as carriers of bioactive molecules. The characterization of the prepared liposomes consists of the calculation of the drug-to-lipid-molar ratio by measuring the lipids and the encapsulated molecule.The present work describes an analytical methodology for the simultaneous determination of all the lipid ingredients of liposome formulation using thin-layer chromatography coupled with a flame ionization detector (TLC/FID), employing the least possible sample quantity. The method consists of the chromatographic separation of the liposomal ingredients on silica gel scintillated on quartz rods and the subsequent detection of the ingredients by scanning the rods through hydrogen flame. The produced ions are detected by a flame ionization detector, and the signal is converted to a chromatogram.This method may be applied at every step of the liposome preparation for examining the quality of the raw materials, tracking possible errors in the preparation procedure, and finally analyzing the content of the final liposomal composition.
Keywords: Drug loading; Drug/lipid ratio; HPTLC/FID; Lipid analysis; Liposome.
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