Ultrathin shell double emulsion templated giant unilamellar lipid vesicles with controlled microdomain formation

Abstract

A microfluidic approach is reported for the high-throughput, continuous production of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) using water-in-oil-in-water double emulsion drops as templates. Importantly, these emulsion drops have ultrathin shells; this minimizes the amount of residual solvent that remains trapped within the GUV membrane, overcoming a major limitation of typical microfluidic approaches for GUV fabrication. This approach enables the formation of microdomains, characterized by different lipid compositions and structures within the GUV membranes. This work therefore demonstrates a straightforward and versatile approach to GUV fabrication with precise control over the GUV size, lipid composition and the formation of microdomains within the GUV membrane.

Keywords: giant unilamellar vesicles; lipid membrane; lipid microdomains; lipid vesicles; microfluidics.