Single-step assembly of asymmetric vesicles
Single-step assembly of asymmetric vesicles
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DOI：
10.1039/c8lc00882e
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发表时间：
2019-03-07
期刊：
影响因子：
6.1
通讯作者：
Weitz, David A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Arriaga, Laura R.;Huang, Yuting;Weitz, David A.
不对称囊泡是其中两亲物不对称地分布在每个膜小叶之间的膜。这种不对称性决定了这些囊泡的化学和物理性质，使它们能够用作生物细胞膜的更真实的模型，这也是不对称的，并提高了它们用于药物递送和化妆品应用的潜力。然而，它们的制造是困难的，因为两亲物的自组装总是导致对称囊泡。在这里，我们报告了使用水包油包油包水三重乳液滴来指导两个小叶的组装以形成不对称囊泡。不同组成的两亲物溶解在三重乳液的两个油壳中的每一个中;两亲物扩散到界面并且在三重乳液的两个油/水界面中的每一个处差异地吸附。这些中间油相从三重乳液滴的最内部的水核心去湿，导致形成不对称度高达70%的膜。三重乳液液滴是使用毛细管微流体技术制造的，能够以高达300 Hz的速率生产高度单分散的液滴。通过这种方法产生的囊泡可以非常有效地封装许多不同的成分;这进一步增强了不对称囊泡作为人工细胞、生物反应器和递送载体的效用。
Asymmetric vesicles are membranes in which amphiphiles are asymmetrically distributed between each membrane leaflet. This asymmetry dictates chemical and physical properties of these vesicles, enabling their use as more realistic models of biological cell membranes, which also are asymmetric, and improves their potential for drug delivery and cosmetic applications. However, their fabrication is difficult as the self-assembly of amphiphiles always leads to symmetric vesicles. Here, we report the use of water-in-oil-in-oil-in-water triple emulsion drops to direct the assembly of the two leaflets to form asymmetric vesicles. Different compositions of amphiphiles are dissolved in each of the two oil shells of the triple emulsion; the amphiphiles diffuse to the interfaces and adsorb differentially at each of the two oil/water interfaces of the triple emulsion. These middle oil phases dewet from the innermost water cores of the triple emulsion drops, leading to the formation of membranes with degrees of asymmetry up to 70%. The triple emulsion drops are fabricated using capillary microfluidics, enabling production of highly monodisperse drops at rates as high as 300 Hz. Vesicles produced by this method can very efficiently encapsulate many different ingredients; this further enhances the utility of asymmetric vesicles as artificial cells, bioreactors and delivery vehicles.