Characterizing, Understanding and Exploiting lipid-lipid interactions

脂质是两亲性分子，在许多生物过程中起着关键作用，并且具有制备纳米载体的巨大潜力。我们的研究计划旨在更好地理解和控制脂质自组装的结构和功能，研究3个特定的系统。首先，一些肽和蛋白质可以诱导脂质从细胞膜流出，这是一种在精子成熟和胆固醇转运中起关键作用的现象。尽管它们非常重要，但我们缺乏对这些脂质提取机制的潜在分子描述。我们将表征肽或蛋白质诱导的脂质提取的一些关键系统的整体方法，从脂质/蛋白质-肽协会所产生的混合复合物。我们将特别研究决定特定脂质提取的化学和物理特征。其次，角质层（表皮的最上层）的脂质主要负责皮肤的不渗透性，这一特性被认为与它们形成的不寻常的结晶相有关。我们将研究固相形成的分子起源，表征不同模型混合物的相行为，并确定晶相和SC脂质模型的不渗透性之间的相关性。由此产生的改进的知识将有助于保持健康的皮肤屏障，并可能改变透皮药物递送的屏障。第三，我的小组正在开发一种由单烷基化两亲物和固醇形成的新型脂质体家族。这些脂质体显示出一些独特的性质，包括非常低的渗透性。我们建议通过创建具有特定特性的非磷脂脂质体来进一步推动这些新型纳米载体的发展：例如，具有静脉内药物递送的有趣潜力的隐形脂质体，具有烷基化糖基的脂质体，以创建具有靶向药物递送潜力的新纳米载体，以及光敏脂质体。我们认为，特殊的不渗透性和控制释放反应的组合赠款了这些非磷脂富含胆固醇的脂质体一个有趣的潜力。

Lipids are amphiphilic molecules that play a pivotal role in several biological processes and possess a great potential for the fabrication of nanocarriers. Our research program aims at gaining a better understanding and control of the structures and functions of lipid self-assemblies, investigating 3 specific systems. First, some peptides and proteins can induce lipid efflux from cell membranes, a phenomenon that plays a critical role in sperm maturation and in cholesterol transport. Despite their prime importance, we lack an underlying molecular description of the mechanism of these lipid extractions. We will characterize peptide- or protein-induced lipid extraction of some key systems with an overall approach, from the lipid/protein-peptide association to the resulting mixed complexes. We will particularly examine the chemical and physical features dictating the extraction of specific lipids. Second, the lipids of the stratum corneum (the top layer of the epidermis) are largely responsible for skin impermeability, a property that is proposed to be linked to the unusual crystalline phase they form. We will examine the molecular origin of the formation of solid phases, characterizing the phase behavior of different model mixtures and determine the correlation between the crystalline phases and the impermeability of the SC lipid models. The resulting improved knowledge will contribute to maintaining a healthy skin barrier, and potentially to altering the barrier for transdermal drug delivery. Third, my group is developing a novel family of liposomes formed with a monoalkylated amphiphile and a sterol. These liposomes display some distinct properties including a very low permeability. We propose to push further the development of these novel nanovectors by creating non phospholipid liposomes with specific properties: e.g. stealth liposomes that have an interesting potential for intravenous drug delivery, liposomes with alkylated sugar group to create new nanocarriers with a potential for targeted drug delivery, and light-sensitive liposomes. We believe that the combination of the exceptional impermeability and controlled release response grants an interesting potential for these non phospholipid cholesterol-rich liposomes.