Precipitation of Calcium Phosphates and Calcium Carbonates in the Presence of Differently Charged Liposomes

Ina Erceg,Branka Njegić Džakula,Darija Domazet Jurašin,Vida Strasser,Damir Kralj,Jasminka Kontrec,Suzana Šegota,Atiđa Selmani,Maja Dutour Sikirić,Marija Ćurlin,Daniel M Lyons,Nives Matijaković Mlinarić

doi:10.3390/min12020208

Ina Erceg, Branka Njegić Džakula + Show 10 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/min12020208

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Abstract

Liposomes (lipid vesicles) are often considered to be a versatile tool for the synthesis of advanced materials, as they allow various control mechanisms to tune the materials’ properties. Among diverse materials, the synthesis of calcium phosphates (CaPs) and calcium carbonates (CaCO3) using liposomes has attracted particular attention in the development of novel (bio)materials and biomineralization research. However, the preparation of materials using liposomes has not yet been fully exploited. Most of the liposomes used have been anionic and/or zwitterionic, while data on the influence of cationic liposomes are limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate and compare the influence of differently charged liposomes on CaPs and CaCO3 formation. Zwitterionic 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC), negatively charged 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-L-serine (DMPS), and positively charged 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-ethylphosphocholine (EPC) lipids were used to prepare the respective liposomes. The presence of liposomes during the spontaneous precipitation of CaPs and CaCO3 affected both the precipitation and transformation kinetics, as well as the morphology of the precipitates formed. The most prominent effect was noted for both materials in the presence of DMPS liposomes, as (nano) shell structures were formed in both cases. The obtained results indicate possible strategies to fine-tune the precipitation process of CaPs and CaCO3, which may be of interest for the production of novel materials.

Highlights

The ever-increasing need for novel and advanced materials is creating a stimulus for the development of new economically acceptable and environmentally friendly synthetic routes
To the best of our knowledge, there has been no attempt to compare the influence of liposomes containing different head groups, i.e., different charges, on the precipitation of different calcium phosphates (CaPs) and CaCO3 phases. To fill this gap in data, we investigated the influence of liposomes prepared from three differently charged lipids on CaP and CaCO3 precipitation
From a materials science point of view, the relationship between the CaP and CaCO3 phases is important as well, since CaP can be prepared from CaCO3, which serves as a source of

Summary

Introduction

The ever-increasing need for novel and advanced materials is creating a stimulus for the development of new economically acceptable and environmentally friendly synthetic routes. In addition to the protein matrix, the self-assembled structures of lipids (i.e., vesicles) play an important role in the formation of hard tissues in both vertebrates and invertebrates [3,4,5,6,7]. Mineralization in or at a compartmentalized reaction environment, such as that in lipid vesicles, allows the precise control of physicochemical conditions, which in turn allows the control of the mineralization process [3]. Typical examples of such a biomineralization strategy are coccoliths formed in the alga Emiliania huxleyi [8], matrix vesicles in vertebrates [4,9], or magnetosomes [10]

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