Abstract
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that bioaccumulate in a wide variety of biological and ecological environments due to their resistive nature to chemical, thermal and photodegradation. The stability of POPs and specifically PCBs (a subclass of POPs) leave few options for environmental waste and water removal. Conventionally, liposomes have been used for their drug delivery capabilities, but here we investigated their potential for the entrapment and removal of this class of emerging environmental pollutants. Liposomes are small, nonpolar lipid bi-layered aggregates capable of capturing a wide variety of both polar and nonpolar compounds. Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)is a well-characterized lipid that can be derived from natural sources. It is a phospholipid typically found as a major component of pulmonary surfactant mixtures. To assess the utility of liposomes prepared with pure DPPC in capturing PCBs, they were prepared using probe-tip sonication for both direct and passive incorporation of a representative PCB compound, 2,2’,3,3’,4,4’-hexachlorobiphenyl (HCBP). Incorporation of HCBP was assessed using a combination of differential scanning calorimetry and UV-Vis spectroscopy. For direct incorporation in the presence of HCBP, it was apparent that liposome stability generally decreased compared to pure DPPC liposomes based on a corresponding decrease in the phase transition temperature, Tm, from 40.8 °C to 37.4 °C. Additionally, an analysis of passive incorporation by UV-Vis spectroscopy showed an increase in the incorporation of HCBP proportionate to the length of exposure time up to 24 hours. Both the decrease in Tm and substantial UV absorbance signal produced after the compound was extracted from DPPC liposomes are indicative of its incorporation and demonstrates the potential for the use of liposomes in sustainable environmental cleanup and water treatment technologies.
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