The working of a pulsatory liposome

J Theor Biol. 2008 Oct 7;254(3):515-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2008.07.009. Epub 2008 Jul 15.

Abstract

Under positive osmotic stress, a greater lipid vesicle swells to a critical diameter, when suddenly a transbilayer pore appears and grows to a maximum radius, then decreases and finally disappears. An amount of liquid was leaked out through the pore and the vesicle returns to the initial state and can start another cycle. This is a pulsatory lipid liposome. In this paper, we have considered the problem of such liposomes. We have obtained the condition that a pulsatory liposome to run an a priori settled number of cycles. The length time of each cycle and its activity life was calculated. Also, we have calculated the quantities of solute leaked out through a pore in each cycle. The pulsatory liposome may be regarded as a biotechnological device to dose drugs at fixed intervals time.

MeSH terms

  • Drug Delivery Systems
  • Lipid Bilayers / chemistry
  • Liposomes / chemistry*
  • Models, Chemical*
  • Osmotic Pressure
  • Periodicity
  • Permeability
  • Stress, Mechanical

Substances

  • Lipid Bilayers
  • Liposomes