mardi 29 janvier 2013

Understanding The Role Of Clodornate Liposomes

By Elisabeth Burt


As medical treatments aggressively go through the roof, a ton of scientific breakthrough has been initiated in an effort to strike a balance of the ever skyrocketing medical cost. One of these is the discovery of clodronate liposome. Liposomes are artificial lipid vesicles with a high concentration on lipid bilayer. These are used in encapsulating hydrophilic molecules which are particularly vital in the preparation of pharmaceutical drugs for human application.

Liposomes have natural phospholipids, as well as mixed lipid chains of surfactant elements. These are specifically designed to surface ligands in attaching unhealthy tissues. They can be prepared through having the biological membranes like the bysonication disrupted. They consist of three primary types; the multilamellar vesicle or MLV, small unilamellar vesicle or SUV and large unilamellar vesicle or LUV. All three have specific tasks which are not to be confused with the reverse micelles or inverse micelles, non-solvents which are used as emulsifiers when surfactants are found before the critical micelle concentration or CMC.

Liposomes were first discovered in 1961 when a group of researchers from the Babraham Institute in Cambridge were working on their then necessary test for the new electron microscope. These became apparent as they added negative strain into the dry phospholipids. They noted distinct resemblance on plasmalemma which was proven through the microscopic photos taken for the cell membrane.

Liposome was coined in conjunction with its high composition of phospholipid. Lipo in Greek means fat while soma means body. This shuts in a certain region of an aqueous solution found within the hydrophilic membrane which breaks up at the hydrophilic solutes disabling this solution to pass through the membranes of lipids.

As hydrophobic chemicals begin to break into the membrane, it will be easier for the liposome to carry the hydrophobic and hydrophilic molecules. These molecules will be delivered to sites where the lipid bilayers are able to fuse with the cell membrane. The liposome, though, has no significant amount of lipohobic agents like water.

Liposomes with low pH are designed to dissolve aqueous drugs. It is no wonder these are used in delivering drugs in several ways. With the pH neutralizing naturally in the protons of the liposome, drugs can also be neutralized.

Liposomes are potentially made in varied sizes making these viable targets on macrophage phagocytosis. Such liposomes can be processed within the phagosome of the macrophage. These can also be made through activating the endocytosis with specific ligands being used.

Today, several approved drugs have already been used widely in the medical practice. New liposomal drugs are designed to annihilate cancer cells. These, however, are still under a series of clinical trials. Hence, it is never ideal to take in without the doctors' prescriptions. Over-the-counter medications can never be practical especially on serious medical complications.

Meanwhile, clodronate liposome is not only used in the medical context. This is also employed in the textile industry as well as in cosmetics and nutritional supplements. Its vital role in nanotechnology impressively enables researchers to develop far more acceptable applications in the modern science.




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