Liposomes are vesicles filled with liquid and they can be used to deliver medicine to cells, for cancer treatment and other issues. The particles are ...
Liposomes are vesicles filled with liquid and they can be used to deliver medicine to cells,
for cancer treatment and other issues. The particles are artificially obtained from cell membranes. Even if the compounds are really small, their wonderful characteristics can make them very useful for people. Experts consider the spheres today among the best ways of transporting nutrients to cells through the mouth.
Created from human cell membrane content (phospholipids), liposomes are made of two different layers. Cholesterol is also part of the compounds. A British hematologist, by the name of Alec D Bangham, saw the particles first time in 1961. After the discovery, domains like biochemistry, medicine, or biology used it. According to the scientist, only one side of a molecule could be dissolved in water and that the other one was repellent.
Bangham saw the particles while he was making a checking on the electronic microscope of an institute. The verification was performed using a negative stain for making phospholipids dry. The images that resulted could be used as the first proof that cell membranes have a bilayer structure.
When a disruption occurs in a membrane, phospholipids can get together in the form of spheres and they can be monolayer and bilayer. Double variants can be the ones that researchers have called liposomes. Monolayer types are named micelles. In an artificial way, the compounds are extracted from the natural membrane content.
In a normal cell, the membrane has an external part that is soluble, for letting nutrients enter the cell. When it comes to size, two types of spheres exist: uni-lamellar and multi-lamellar. The substance is unique due to its special features: soluble and insoluble materials can be moved using it, it is a stable structure if is diluted, the double layer can be penetrated by molecules and it is has fluidity.
The characteristics are not fixed, as they can depend on factors like ionic strength, nearby molecules and temperature. People can use liposomes in the best way if they encapsulate drugs in them. The spheres are are the primary nano pharmaceutical compounds ever used. The term can be split in "Lipos"(fat) and "Somos" (body), from the Greek language.
In cases in which phospholipids are placed in water based solutions, the insoluble parts of molecules separate themselves from the fluid, just like vinegar does not mix with oil. With the use of encapsulation, ingesting Vitamin C and taking it directly to the cells has never been easier.
According to some theories, liposomes can contain a few therapeutic agents. However, researchers have not yet been able to prove this is totally true. Theories say that a liver can see phospholipids like fat and release Vitamin C. Another assumption can be that cells take materials from the substance in order to fix their membranes and leaks can occur.
The conclusion could be that liposomes can be great means of transporting different types of materials to human cells, as they were part of membranes before. Despite their microscopic size, the compounds can have multiple characteristics. Scientists say that there are healing properties involves, but there is no proof of this for now.
