Abstract
Double-chained surfactants with potential biocompatibility have been prepared in high yields by lysine acylation with four natural saturated fatty acids (C6 to C12) and with cis-undec-5-enoic acid. The surfactants were found to assemble into nanotubules in aqueous medium and, when mixed with a commercial cationic surfactant, to spontaneously form liposomes.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors thank Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Lisbon-Portugal) for financial support through project POCTI/QUI/44296/2002 and through pluriannual funding to research unit Centro de Investigação em Química da Universidade do Porto (CIQUP, Porto-Portugal). Thanks are due to Cláudia Correia for laboratory assistance.