The preparation and characterization of lipid vesicles containing esters of sucrose and fatty acids

Abstract

Encapsulation and electron microscopy studies have shown that aqueous dispersions of several nonionic emulsifiers with sucrosepalmitatestearate (SPS) structure and cholesterol (Chol) result in synthetic lipid vesicles. This was demonstrated for the commercial emulsifier sucrosepalmitatestearate for the first time. Such vesicles were able to entrap aqueous solutes, for instance the fluorescence marker carboxyfluorescein (CF) for a period of more than 10 weeks with latencies of about 90 per cent. Though SPS/Chol-vesicles tended to flocculate—especially in concentrated solutions—the efflux of entrapped solutes after storage was lower in these vesicles compared with liposomes consisting of natural egg phosphatidylcholine (EPC) and cholesterol.