Design, Function and Applications of Molecular Permeable Polymer Vesicles

Abstract

Vesicles are formed from the self–assembly of phospholipids, synthetic lipids, and amphiphilic polymers. Among vesicles, polymer vesicles can be introduced various functions such as stimuli–responsivity and have superior mechanical strength. Polymer vesicles also have an inner aqueous phase and can function as enzymatic reactors when enzymes are encapsulated in the inner aqueous phase. Therefore, they have been attracted attention for biomaterials such as nano/microreactors, carriers for drug delivery systems (DDS), and artificial organelle/cell models. However, the bilayers of polymer vesicles are thicker than those of phospholipid liposomes and thus have extremely low molecular permeability, making it difficult to supply molecules from the external environment. This review introduces our efforts to develop molecular permeable polymer vesicles, the functions of the vesicles, and applications for biomaterials as artificial molecular channels and biocatalytic nanoreactors.