Abstract
This review highlights the potential of using liposomes in bioassays. Liposomes consist of nano- or micro-sized, synthetically constructed phospholipid vesicles. Liposomes can be loaded with a number of reporting molecules that allow a dramatic amplification of the detection threshold in bioassays. Liposome-based sensors bind or react with the biological components of targets through the introduction of properly tailored vectors anchored on their external surface. The use of liposome-based formulations allows the set-up of bioassays that are rapid, sensitive, and often suitable for in-field applications. Selected applications in the field of immunoassays, as well as recognition/assessment of corona proteins, nucleic acids, exosomes, bacteria, and viruses are surveyed. The role of magnetoliposomes is also highlighted as an additional tool in the armory of liposome-based systems for bioassays.
Highlights
Liposomal vesicles are made up of a lipid bilayer surrounding the inner aqueous compartment that may be filled with solutions of molecules of interest
Many assays rely on their signal amplification power, with the aim of detecting analytes at low concentrations with high sensitivity
Liposomes are most commonly exploited as optical sensors, but it has been shown that they work well as magnetic and electrochemical sensors
Summary
Liposomal vesicles are made up of a lipid bilayer surrounding the inner aqueous compartment that may be filled with solutions of molecules of interest. Hydrophobic systems can be incorporated in liposomes as they reside between the acyl hydrocarbon chains of the vesicle membrane. Liposomes appear as the simplest mimics of a biological cell. Their biocompatibility and biodegradability have attracted much interest in the medical field, in particular as carriers for the delivery of drugs to pathological tissues [2,3]. Several liposome-based formulations have entered clinical trials and some of them are already applied in the cure of important diseases, mainly in the field of cancer therapy, and as antibacterial and antifungal agents [4,5,6,7]. The interaction of liposomal nanoparticles with the host immune system plays a pivotal role in the vast and promising field of medicine and immunotherapy [8,9]
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