Physicochemical properties of PEG-grafted liposomes

Egg phosphatidylcholine (EggPC) or dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) liposomes containing polyethylene glycol (PEG)-lipids covering a range of 0-30 mol% have been prepared by Extrusion method. The physicochemical properties including size evolution and calcein permeation were evaluated to investigate the effect of PEG-lipids on bilayer structure. The results from quasielasetic light scattering (QELS), freeze-fracture microscopy, and gel exclusion chromatography revealed that presence of low concentration of PEG-lipid results in decreasing of vesicle size and further increase in the PEG-lipid concentrations lead to a transition from the lamellar membranes to micelles. The permeability for calcein increased with increase in concentration of distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DSPE)-PEG. On the other hand, the permeability decreased with low amount of cholesterol-PEG (blow 20% cholesterol-PEG) and increased with high amount of it. The maximum concentration of PEG-lipid that may be incorporated without alteration of the liposome structure depends on the composition of the bilayer. The concentration of DSPE-PEG2000 incorporated into vesicles without damaging vesicle structures were <20 mol% for EggPC and <10% for DMPC.     

Enumeration of Liposomes by Multinuclear NMR and Photon Correlation Spectroscopy

Diamagnetic dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) liposomes dispersed in glucose solution as well as their paramagnetic analogs encapsulating a paramagnetic contrast agent used in magnetic resonance imaging (Gd-HPDO3A, ProHance ® ) were prepared and characterized. The vesicle diameter was assessed by photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS). 31 P NMR spectroscopy was used to measure the phospholipid content and to confirm the highly unilamellar character of the liposome membrane. For both types of liposome preparation, the internal water volume was evaluated below the phase transition temperature ( T m ) by natural abundance 17 O NMR spectroscopy in the presence of a shift reagent confined to the external compartment. For the paramagnetic vesicles, the internal water content was independently assessed by analysis of the biexponential decay of the proton transverse magnetization below T m . Knowing the unilamellarity of the vesicles ( 31 P NMR measurements), the number concentration of liposomes was assessed from the liposomal internal volume calculated from PCS data and the total internal water content obtained by 17 O NMR spectroscopy or 1 H relaxometry. The results obtained are in good agreement and validate these techniques as non invasive methods for the assessment of the number concentration of liposome in suspension.     

NMR investigation of the short-chain ionic surfactant-water systems

The structure and dynamics of surfactant molecules [CH3(CH2)7COOK] in heavy water solutions were investigated by 1H and 2H NMR. A double-exponential attenuation of the spin-echo amplitude in a Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill experiment was found. We expect correspondence to both bounded and monomeric states. At high concentrations in the NMR self-diffusion measurements also a double-exponential decay of the spin-echo signal versus the square of the dc magnetic gradient was observed. The slow component of the diffusion process is caused by micellar aggregates, while the fast component is the result of the self-diffusion of the monomers through the micelles. The self-diffusion studies indicate that the form of micelles changes with increasing total surfactant concentration. The critical temperature range for self-association is reflected in the 1H transverse relaxation.     

Effective self-diffusion coefficients of ions in sodium dodecyl sulfate micellar solutions

The effective self-diffusion coefficients of ions in premicellar and micellar solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate are measured by the NMR self-diffusion method at 40°C. The obtained regularities are explained using a proposed model that takes into account the possible surface diffusion of counterions bound with micelles. This effect is shown to markedly influence the charge transfer in micellar solutions. Based on the results obtained, the self-diffusion coefficients of bound Na⁺ counterions are estimated and the causes and ranges of their variations are indicated.     

Structure and dynamics of micelles and cubic phase structures with ethoxylated phytosterol surfactant in water

The self-assembly of a sterol ethoxylate surfactant with 30 oxyethylene units in water was studied by 1H NMR self-diffusion measurements in a wide concentration range in the micellar region (0-25 wt %). The data showed that the surfactant aggregates do not interact by hard sphere interactions but rather a strong concentration dependence of the diffusion coefficient was noted which was explained by polymer scaling theory. In the cubic phase (30-65 wt %), the self-diffusion data from water, from surfactant, and from free polyoxyethylene suggest spherical micelles, although water diffusion was much restricted due to binding to the surfactant headgroup. From X-ray measurements in the cubic phase, the unit cell size was calculated, and together with surfactant self-diffusion measurements the exchange dynamics between free and aggregated surfactant was obtained.     

Structure of mixed micelles formed in PEG-lipid/lipid dispersions

Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-conjugated lipids are commonly employed for steric stabilization of liposomes. When added in high concentrations PEG-lipids induce formation of mixed micelles, and depending on the lipid composition of the sample, these may adapt either a discoidal or a long threadlike shape. The factors governing the type of micellar aggregate formed have so far not been investigated in detail. In this study we have systematically varied the lipid composition in lipid/PEG-lipid mixtures and characterized the aggregate structure by means of cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). The effects caused by adding sterols, phosphatidylethanolamines, and phospholipids with saturated acyl chains to egg phosphatidylcholine/1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-2000 (EPC/DSPE-PEG2000) mixtures with a fixed amount (25 mol %) of DSPE-PEG2000 was studied. Further, the aggregate structure in 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine/1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-2000] (DMPC/DMPE-PEG2000) samples above and below the gel to liquid crystalline phase transition temperature (TC) was investigated. Our results revealed that lipid components, as well as environmental conditions, that reduce the lipid spontaneous curvature and increase the monolayer bending modulus tend to promote formation of discoidal micelles. At temperatures below the gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transition temperature reduced lipid/PEG-lipid miscibility, furthermore, likely contribute to the observed formation of discoidal rather than threadlike micelles.     

Poly(ethylene glycol)-conjugated phospholipids in aqueous micellar solutions: hydration, static structure, and interparticle interactions

By means of dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), we have investigated hydration behavior, solvent dynamics, and static structures of aqueous solutions of poly(ethylene glycol)-conjugated distearoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DSPE-PEG) (molecular weight of PEG: M(PEG)= 2000, 5000, and 12,000 Da). A quantitative analysis of the bulk-water relaxation amplitude revealed the effective hydration number of a DSPE-PEG molecule per ethylene oxide monomer unit to be approximately 5.0-5.5, virtually independent of M(PEG). The overall hydration number of a DSPE-PEG molecule is ca. 20% higher than that of the corresponding normal PEG (without DSPE). This is attributed to both hydration of a charged head group of phosphoric acid in DSPE and a packing effect of PEG chains into micellar structures. The pair-distance distribution functions, p(r), extracted from the GIFT analysis of SAXS intensities show that the DSPE-PEGs form spherical-like micelles in water having the maximum diameter of approximately 16, 22, and 31 nm, respectively, for M(PEG) = 2000, 5000, and 12,000 Da and nearly identical aggregation numbers of 72 (+/-10%). The DSPE-PEG micelles behave as charged colloids whose interparticle interaction potential can be approximated by the screened Coulomb potential model. The extracted pair correlation function g(r) demonstrates that both electrostatic repulsion induced by the charged head group and excluded volume effects of the fully hydrated PEG layer contribute to repulsive interactions among the PEG-lipid micelles. This should be a key factor for the function of PEG lipids as a stabilizer of liposomes.     

Block liposomes from curvature-stabilizing lipids: connected nanotubes, -rods, or -spheres

We report on the discovery of block liposomes, a new class of chain-melted (liquid) vesicles, with membranes comprised of mixtures of the membrane-curvature-stabilizing multivalent lipid MVLBG2 of colossal charge +16 e and neutral 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DOPC). In a narrow MVLBG2 composition range (8-10 mol%), cryo-TEM revealed block liposomes consisting of distinctly shaped, yet connected, nanoscale spheres, pears, tubes, or rods. Unlike typical liposome systems, where spherical vesicles, tubular vesicles, and cylindrical micelles are separated on the macroscopic scale, within a block liposome, shapes are separated on the nanometer scale. Diblock (pear-tube) and triblock (pear-tube-pear) liposomes contain nanotubes with inner lumen diameter of 10-50 nm. Diblock (sphere-rod) liposomes were found to contain micellar nanorods approximately 4 nm in diameter and several micrometers in length, analogous to cytoskeletal filaments of eukaryotic cells. Block liposomes may find a range of applications in chemical and nucleic acid delivery and as building blocks in the design of templates for hierarchical structures.     

电容法研究卵磷脂/氨基酸/H2O胶束和囊泡体系

运用电容法研究卵磷脂/氨基酸/H2O胶束和囊泡体系结构与性质. 卵磷脂的临界胶束浓度和囊泡生成浓度可由体系电容-卵磷脂浓度关系曲线求得.随着卵磷脂浓度增加, 体系电容增加, 卵磷脂由胶束形成囊泡. 随着氨基酸浓度增加, 胶束、囊泡半径增大, 体系电容减小. 氨基酸能促进卵磷脂形成胶束和囊泡, 使得卵磷脂临界胶束浓度和囊泡生成浓度减小, 其影响的强弱顺序为组氨酸>色氨酸>>甘氨酸.     

电容法研究卵磷脂/氨基酸/H_2O胶束和囊泡体系

运用电容法研究卵磷脂/氨基酸/H2O胶束和囊泡体系结构与性质.卵磷脂的临界胶束浓度和囊泡生成浓度可由体系电容-卵磷脂浓度关系曲线求得.随着卵磷脂浓度增加,体系电容增加,卵磷脂由胶束形成囊泡.随着氨基酸浓度增加,胶束、囊泡半径增大,体系电容减小.氨基酸能促进卵磷脂形成胶束和囊泡,使得卵磷脂临界胶束浓度和囊泡生成浓度减小,其影响的强弱顺序为组氨酸色氨酸垌甘氨酸.     

Characterisation of electroosmotic flow in capillary electrochromatography columns

Immobilized liposome chromatography (ILC) has been proven to be a useful method for the study or rapid screening of drug-membrane interactions. To obtain an adequate liposomal membrane phase for ILC, unilamellar liposomes were immobilized in gel beads by avidin-biotin binding. The retardation of 15 basic drugs on the liposome column could be converted to membrane partitioning coefficients, K(LM). The effects of small or large unilamellar liposomes and multilamellar liposomes on the drug-membrane partitioning were compared. The K(LM) values for both small and large liposomes were similar, but higher than those for the multilamellar liposomes. The basic drugs showed stronger partitioning into negatively charged liposomes than into either neutral liposomes or positively charged liposomes. The membrane fluidity of the immobilized liposomes was modulated by incorporating cholesterol into the liposomal membranes, by changing the acyl chain length and degree of unsaturation of the phospholipids, and by changing the temperature for ILC runs. Our data show that K(LM) obtained using ILC correlated well with those reported by batch studies using free liposomes. It is concluded that negatively charged or cholesterol-containing large unilamellar liposomes are suitable models for the ILC analysis of drug-membrane interactions.     

Dependence of the size of a protein-SDS complex on detergent and Na+ concentrations

Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles provide ideal mimetic media for high-resolution NMR studies of membrane proteins and proteins or peptides interacting with micellar aggregates. (15)N NMR relaxation of the backbone amides of a protein-SDS complex has been measured under different experimental conditions. The rotational diffusion time of this complex has been found highly sensitive to detergent and NaCl concentrations. A comparison with calculated rotational diffusion times of protein-free SDS micelles under the same conditions suggests that the size of both aggregates must follow a similar functional dependence on detergent/NaCl concentration.     

Liposomes Prepared from Inverse Micelles

A method for the preparation of liposome is introduced, which contains two experimental steps: (a) inverse micelles of lecithin are formed in water-in-oil system by sonication; (b) the micelles are spread on the water surface, passed Through the oil-water interface, and transformed into liposomes in the water phase. The main advantage of this method is that the inner aqueous solution encapsulated by liposomes could be different from their enviromental medium. The liposome size is less than 0.5 μm in diameter by atomic force microscope. Comparison of activities of urease with and without liposome encapsulation suggested that urease was well entraped into liposomes.     

NMR self-diffusion measurements in inverse micellar cubic phases

Abstract

We have measured self-diffusion coefficients of amphiphile and water molecules in novel inverse micellar lyotropic cubic phases using the pulsed field gradient NMR technique. We investigated two different ternary lyotropic systems: oleic acid/sodium oleate/water, and dioleoylglycerol/dioleoylphosphatidylcholine/water. Both of these systems have previously been shown by one of us to form a cubic phase of space group Fd3m, whose structure is a complex packing of two types of disconnected quasi-spherical inverse micelles embedded in a 3D hydrocarbon matrix. The amphiphile translational diffusion coefficients determined for the first time by ¹H NMR in both systems are surprisingly large. Thus the self diffusion coefficients of amphiphiles may not provide a reliable way of distinguising inverse micellar from inverse bicontinuous phases. The water self-diffusion coefficient has been determined to have a value of 2·4 × 10^?12 m² s^?1, a value which is more than two orders of magnitude lower than that typically observed for inverse bicontinuous cubic phases. This confirms unambiguously the inverse micellar topology of the Fd3m cubic phase, and indicates that the value of the water diffusion coefficient should permit inverse micellar and inverse bicontinuous structures to be reliably distinguished, even for systems where the structure has not been previously determined by diffraction.     

三种不同分子结构阴离子表面活性剂胶束微结构的NMR研究

用核磁共振测定自旋-晶格、自旋-自旋弛豫时间(t₁,t₂)、自扩散系数(D),用2DNOESY技术对正十四烷基硫酸钠、β-戊基壬烷基硫酸钠和β-戊基壬烷基聚氧乙烯醚(4)硫酸钠三类阴离子表面活性剂水溶液进行了观测,烷烃链各基团的t₂/t₁值给出了这三类分子形成各自胶束的水合层位点信息以及烷烃链在胶束内核中堆积程度的比较,自扩散系数结果表明,β-戊基壬烷基硫酸钠比正十四烷基硫酸钠形成的胶束的水合动力学半径小,但β-戊基壬烷基聚氧乙烯醚(4)硫酸钠形成的胶束水合动力学半径明显大于其它两类表面活性剂胶束,2DNOESY谱图提供了β-戊基壬烷基聚氧乙烯醚(4)硫酸钠分子中聚氧乙烯基键在胶束外层卷曲排列的信息.     

Aggregation of sodium dodecyl sulfate in poly(ethylene glycol) aqueous solution studied by <Superscript>1</Superscript>H NMR spectroscopy

¹H NMR self-diffusion coefficient, spin–spin relaxation and two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy measurements of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) aqueous solution show that SDS molecules start to self-aggregate at a concentration of 3.3 mM, which is well below the normal critical micellar concentration (cmc). SDS micelles are formed when the cmc is reached with PEG solubilized in their hydrophobic micellar cores. Electronic Publication     

Self-aggregation and supramolecular structure investigations of Triton X-100 and SDP2S by NOESY and diffusion ordered NMR spectroscopy

The self-aggregation and supramolecular micellar structure of two surfactants in aqueous solution, the anionic surfactant SDP2S (sodium dodecyl dioxyethylene-2 sulfate) and the nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 (octylphenol-polyoxyethylene ether with 9.5 ethoxy groups), were investigated by NMR spectroscopy. The critical micellar concentration (CMC), the size, and shape of the aggregates were determined by diffusion ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY), while 2D NOESY NMR spectra were used to study the mutual spatial arrangement of surfactant molecules in the aggregated state. A nonlinear increase of the micellar hydrodynamic radius, indicating possible sphere-to-rod shape transition, was found for SDP2S at higher surfactant concentrations. Triton X-100 micelles were found to be almost spherical at low surfactant concentrations, but formation of ellipsoid shaped particles and/or micellar aggregation was observed at higher concentrations. The NOESY data show that at low concentration Triton X-100 forms a two-layer spherical structure in the micelles, with partially overlapping internal and external layers of Triton X-100 molecules and no distinct hydrophilic-hydrophobic boundary.     

Sodium dodecyl sulfate self-diffusion in premicellar and low-concentrated micellar solutions in the presence of a background electrolyte

The Fourier transform pulsed field gradient NMR method is employed to investigate the self-diffusion of surface active sodium dodecyl sulfate ions in premicellar and low-concentrated micellar solutions at different NaCl concentrations in a system. The self-diffusion coefficient of the surfactant is found to markedly decrease in the premicellar region. An analysis of the experimental data carried out using a model implying the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate monomers, dimers, and micelles in the system made it possible to determine the self-diffusion coefficients of the monomers and dimers, as well as the corresponding sizes of kinetic units.     

Restricted self-diffusion in an aqueous solution of poly(ethylene oxide) poly(propylene oxide) poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer

 The self-diffusion behavior of a triblock copolymer (PEO–b– PPO–b–PEO) in an aqueous solution of 20% (m/m) was investigated during a temperature-induced phase transition from liquid to gel state using pulsed field gradient NMR and static light scattering. The measured self-diffusivity shows a strong dependence on the observation time in the gel phase indicating the existence of diffusion barriers in the size range of about 0.6 μm. Additional static light-scattering measurements show a structure in the same size range of several hundred nanometers, which is far above molecular or micellar sizes and thus, has to be caused by larger clusters. The similarity in the space scales suggests that the restriction of molecular propagation is correlated with the grain boundaries between the domains of the poly-crystalline structure formed by the arranged micelles. Received: 28 October 1996 Accepted: 21 March 1997     

Properties of polyethylene glycol (23) lauryl ether with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide in mixed aqueous solutions studied by self-diffusion coefficient NMR

NMR self-diffusion coefficient measurements have been used to study the properties of polyethylene glycol (23) lauryl ether (Brij-35) with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) in the mixed aqueous solutions with different mole fractions of CTAB. By fitting the self-diffusion coefficients to the two-state exchange model, the critical micelle concentrations of the two solutes in the mixed solutions (cmc*1 and cmc*2) were obtained. The critical mixed micelle concentrations (cmc*) were then evaluated by the sum of cmc*1 and cmc*2, which are in good agreement with the results measured by the surface tension method. The cmc* values are lower than those of the ideal case of mixing, which indicates that the behavior of the CTAB/Brij-35 system is nonideal. Moderate interactions between CTAB and Brij-35 in their mixtures can be deduced from the interaction parameters (betaM) based on the cmc* obtained by the NMR self-diffusion method. The compositions (x1) of the mixed micelles at different total surfactant concentrations were also evaluated. By using these results, a possible mechanism of mixed micellar formation and a picture of the formation of nonsimultaneous CTAB/Brij-35 binary mixed micelle were proposed. In contrast to the case of CTAB/TX-100 system, Brij-35 molecules have a tendency to form micelles first at any mole fraction of CTAB. The mixed micellar self-diffusion coefficients (Dm) increase slightly at lower CTAB molar ratios, and then speed up with increasing CTAB mole fraction.