In this study, we demonstrated that liposomes composed of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) can recognize several l-amino acids, but not their d-enantiomers, by analyzing their adsorptive behavior and using circular dichroism spectroscopy. Changes in liposomal membrane properties, determined based on fluorescent probe analysis and differential scanning calorimetry, were induced by l-amino acid binding. UV resonance Raman spectroscopy analysis suggested that the chiral recognition was mediated by electrostatic, hydrophobic, and hydrogen bond interactions, where the recognition site could therefore be constructed on the DPPC membrane. Our findings clearly indicate the potential function of liposomes in asymmetric recognition.

We investigated the key factors that affect enantioselective adsorption of ibuprofen (IBU) on a liposome membrane by changing its lipid composition: the liposome membrane shows different membrane fluidity, surface charge, content of chiral components, and heterogeneity (nanodomain). Nonspecific interactions (hydrophobic and electrostatic) were revealed to be an important factor in enhancing the adsorbed amount of IBU, based on adsorption experiments carried out using single lipids (DPPC, DMPC, DOPC, and DLPC) and positively charged liposomes (DOTAP and liposome containing DC-Ch). Furthermore, control of the boundary edge (i.e., the nanodomain size) derived from the membrane heterogeneity was important for enantioselective adsorption; as well as multiple weak interactions between lipid molecules and IBU enantiomers. The above findings provided a good index for constructing liposomal chiral adsorbents.

Herein, we show that the L-proline (L-Pro)-catalyzed Michael addition of trans-β-nitrostyrene and acetone can proceed in "water" using liposome membranes and that the membrane fluidity and polarity are major controlling factors for this reaction. The highest conversion and rate constant of the reaction within the liposomes was achieved with the 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC)/1,2-dipalmitoyl-3-trimethylammoniumpropane (DPTAP) system. The catalytic activity of L-Pro in the liposome suspension was found to be comparable to that in a DMSO system. The reaction rate constant was found to be controlled by both the phase state of the liposome membrane and the surface charge on the membrane. Greater enantioselectivity was achieved in the presence of the liposomes than in DMSO solution, with corresponding enantiomeric excess values of 97.6% for the DOPC/DPTAP liposome system and 10% in DMSO. The hydrophobic region of the liposome membrane, which is a relatively stable self-organizing system, can serve as an effective "platform" for molecular recognition and selective conversion in aqueous media.

We fabricated a simple yet robust microfluidic platform with monolithically integrated hierarchical apertures. This platform showed efficient diffusive mixing of the introduced lipids through approximately 8000 divisions with tiny pores (~5 μm in diameter), resulting in massive, real-time production of various cargo-carrying particles via multi-hydrodynamic focusing.