Cationic liposomes formulated with DMPC and a gemini surfactant traverse the cell membrane without causing a significant bio-damage

Abstract

Cationic liposomes have been intensively studied both in basic and applied research because of their promising potential as non-viral molecular vehicles. This work was aimed to gain more information on the interactions between the plasmamembrane and liposomes formed by a natural phospholipid and a cationic surfactant of the gemini family. The present work was conducted with the synergistic use of diverse experimental approaches: electro-rotation measurements, atomic force microscopy, ζ-potential measurements, laser scanning confocal microscopy and biomolecular/cellular techniques. Electro-rotation measurements pointed out that the interaction of cationic liposomes with the cell membrane alters significantly its dielectric and geometric parameters. This alteration, being accompanied by significant changes of the membrane surface roughness as measured by atomic force microscopy, suggests that the interaction with the liposomes causes locally substantial modifications to the structure and morphology of the cell membrane. However, the results of electrophoretic mobility (ζ-potential) experiments show that upon the interaction the electric charge exposed on the cell surface does not vary significantly, pointing out that the simple adhesion on the cell surface of the cationic liposomes or their fusion with the membrane is to be ruled out. As a matter of fact, confocal microscopy images directly demonstrated the penetration of the liposomes inside the cell and their diffusion within the cytoplasm. Electro-rotation experiments performed in the presence of endocytosis inhibitors suggest that the internalization is mediated by, at least, one specific pathway. Noteworthy, the liposome uptake by the cell does not cause a significant biological damage.

Interaction of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles with endothelial cells: internalization and inhibition of angiogenesis in vitro through the PI3K/Akt pathway

“…A previous study has indicated that the HANPs, only within the cell nucleus, could induce cytotoxicity, while the HANPs that remained in the perinuclear region or cytoplasm only caused local modifications to the morphology and structure of the cell membrane and exerted negligible inhibitory effects. 35,36,37 However, our results suggested that HANPs might interact with organelles, such as chondriosome and lysosomes (Figure 3), thus interfering with HUVEC survival and function although they concentrated in the cytoplasm (Figures 2 and 7). The uptake of NPs originated from an event of NPs adhering to the cell membrane, and this process was followed by the actual internalization via energy-dependent uptake pathways.…”

Urea-based gemini surfactants: Synthesis, aggregation behaviour and biological activity

“…A smaller value of their cmc also enables them to be efficient solubilisers of low soluble drugs [19], dyes [20,21], hydrocarbons such as n-hexane and toluene [22]. Gemini surfactants can also serve as structural units in the formulation of cationic liposomes [23]. As for industrial applications, gemini surfactants show inhibitive effect on iron corrosion [24], act as efficient agents in oil recovery [25], styrene polymerisation [26,27], dying of textiles [28,29].…”

Preparation, Physicochemical Properties, and Transfection Activities of Tartaric Acid-Based Cationic Lipids as Effective Nonviral Gene Delivery Vectors

“…[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Among the existing nonviral vectors, the cationic liposome, representing an attractive, alternative approach for gene delivery has a broad varity of advantages, such as biodegradability, easy preparation, good repeatability and potential clinical applications. [25][26][27][28][29] Cationic lipids generally consist of polar head group and hydrophobic tails connected through the backbone (Fig.…”