Self‐assembly of lipid‐based liquid crystalline (LLC) nanoparticles is a formulation art arising from the hydrophilic–lipophilic qualities and the geometric packing of amphiphilic lipid molecules in an aqueous environment. The diversity of commercialized amphiphilic lipids and an increased understanding of the physicochemical factors dictating their membrane curvature has enabled versatile architectural design and engineering of LLC nanoparticles. While these exotic nanostructured materials are hypothesized to form the next generation of smart therapeutics for a broad field of biomedical applications, biological knowledge particularly on the systemic biocompatibility or cytotoxicity of LLC materials remains unclear. Here, an overview on the interactions between LLCs of different internal nanostructures and biological components (including soluble plasma constituents, blood cells, and isolated tissue cell lines) is provided. Factors affecting cell–nanoparticle tolerability such as the type of lipids, type of steric stabilizers, nanoparticle surface charges, and internal nanostructures (or lipid phase behaviors) are elucidated. The mechanisms of cellular uptake and lipid transfer between neighboring membrane domains are also reviewed. A critical analysis of these studies sheds light on future strategies to transform LLC materials into a viable therapeutic entity ideal for internal applications.

The ability of donor-acceptor Stenhouse adducts (DASAs) to function as a green light responsive switch for lipid-based liquid crystalline drug delivery systems was investigated. The host matrix comprising phytantriol cubic phase was selected due to its high sensitivity toward changes in lipid packing. Small-angle X-ray scattering demonstrated that the matrix undergoes rapid and fully reversible order-order phase transitions upon irradiation with 532 nm light, converting between the bicontinuous cubic phase and reversed hexagonal phases. This approach shows promise for use as an actuator for the development of visible wavelength light-activated, "on-demand" drug delivery systems.

No abstract

Lipid packing is intimately related to the geometry of the lipids and the forces that drive self-assembly. Here, the photothermal response of a cubic liquid-crystalline phase formed using phytantriol in the presence of low concentrations of pristine graphene was evaluated. Small-angle X-ray scattering showed the reversible phase changes from cubic to hexagonal to micellar due to localized heating through irradiation with near-infrared (NIR) light and back to cubic after cooling.

The optical density of pristine graphene is high and broad in the near infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum positioning this material as a highly efficient photothermal agent for in vivo applications. In this study, surfactant assisted exfoliated graphene was incorporated within bulk lipid samples of varying lipid types: glyceryl monoether, glyceryl monooleate and phytantriol. The pristine graphene sheets did not disrupt the packing of the liquid crystals while being in sufficiently intimate contact to provide localized heating and induce phase transitions. The phase progressions induced through heating using NIR irradiation of the entrained graphene particles within the bulk liquid crystal were studied using SAXS and confirmed using polarized optical microscopy. Increases in apparent temperature experienced by the matrix of up to 50 °C were observed by establishing a SAXS versus bulk temperature calibration curve allowing in situ measurements. The studies demonstrate the potential for use of graphene as a photothermal actuator across a range of lipid based systems of interest in controlled drug delivery.