Abstract
Bicelles have been intensively studied for use as drug delivery carriers and in biological studies, but their preparation with low-cost materials and via a simple process would allow their use for other purposes as well. Herein, bicelles were prepared through a semi-spontaneous method using a mixture of hydrogenated soybean lecithin (SL) and a nonionic surfactant, polyoxyethylene cholesteryl ether (ChEO10), and then we investigated the effect of composition and temperature on the structure of bicelles, which is important to design tailored systems. As the fraction of ChEO10 (XC) was increased, a bimodal particle size distribution with a small particle size of several tens of nanometers and a large particle size of several hundred nanometers was obtained, and only small particles were observed when XC ≥ 0.6, suggesting the formation of significant structure transition (liposomes to bicelles). The small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) spectrum for these particles fitted a core-shell bicelle model, providing further evidence of bicelle formation. A transition from a monomodal to a bimodal size distribution occurred as the temperature was increased, with this transition taking place at lower temperatures when higher SL-ChEO10 concentrations were used. SANS showed that this temperature-dependent size change was reversible, suggesting the SL-ChEO10 bicelles were stable against temperature, hence making them suitable for several applications.
Highlights
Liposomes are spherical molecular assemblies consisting of phospholipid bilayers
Disc-shaped bilayer dispersions known as bicelles were prepared by mixing hydrogenated soybean lecithin (SL) and poly(oxyethylene) cholesteryl ether (ChEO10 ) via the semi-spontaneous soybean lecithin (SL) and poly(oxyethylene) cholesteryl ether (ChEO10) via the semi-spontaneous method using a solvent and an ultrasonicator
Dynamic light scattering and small-angle neutron scattering measurements showed that the aggregates changed structure from liposomes to bicelles as scattering measurements showed that the aggregates changed structure from liposomes to bicelles
Summary
Liposomes are spherical molecular assemblies consisting of phospholipid bilayers. The advantages of liposomes are their encapsulation ability and controlled release of both water- and oil-soluble active ingredients [3]. A bicelle is another form of bilayer nanoparticle, which is typically a lipid nanodisc formed by mixtures of long-chain and short-chain phospholipids [5,6,7]. A bicelle has a flat bilayer disk with a rim, which is mainly formed by long-chain phospholipids and hydrophilic cosurfactants, respectively [8]. Alternative formulations of bicelles are possible by mixtures of phospholipids and hydrophilic cosurfactants such as cholesterol sulfate [9], dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride
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