LIPOSOME MICROENCAPSULATIONS WITHOUT USING ANY ORGANIC SOLVENT

ABSTRACT

Liposomes are microscopic vesicles composed of phospholipid bilayers surrounding discrete aqueous compartment. Eventhough phospholipid bilayers are formed spontaneously in water, their conventional preparation methods involve either organic solvents or detergent molecules. Organic solvents may create a serious safety problem during liposome manufacturing especially on a large scale and can cause denaturation of proteins and affect the membrane properties. Liposomes are very promising carriers for protein drugs which have aroused great interests in the field of pharmaceutics in these recent years.

The objective of this study was to develop a new dispersion process to prepare liposomes without the usage of organic solvents and detergents. The approach involved the usage of a microfludizer for the extrusion and homogenization of aqueous dispersion of phospholipids, and a modified evaporator in order to increase lipid thin film surface area. The properties of the liposomes prepared by the novel method were superior to the liposomes prepared by conventional methods.