Spontaneous Formation of Ultrasmall Unilamellar Vesicles in Mixtures of an Amphiphilic Drug and a Phospholipid.

ABSTRACT: We have observed ultrasmall unilamellar vesicles, with diameters of less than 20 nm, in mixtures of the tricyclic antidepressant drug amitriptyline hydrochloride (AMT) and the unsaturated zwitterionic phospholipid 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) in physiological saline solution. The size and shape of spontaneously formed self-assembled aggregates have been characterized using complementary techniques, i.e., small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering (SANS and SAXS) and cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). We observe rodlike mixed micelles in more concentrated samples that grow considerably in length upon dilution, and a transition from micelles to vesicles is observed as the concentration approaches the critical micelle concentration of AMT. Unlike the micelles,

SUBMITTER: Forooqi Motlaq V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10433524 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature