TY - JOUR
T1 - Advanced Subcompartmentalized Microreactors:
T2 - Polymer Hydrogel Carriers Encapsulating Polymer Capsules and Liposomes
AU - Rigau, Leticia Hosta
AU - Shimoni, Olga
AU - Stadler, Brigitte
AU - Caruso, Frank
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - The design of compartmentalized carriers for advanced drug delivery systems or artificial cells and organelles is of interest for biomedical applications. Herein, a polymer carrier microreactor that contains two different classes of subcompartments, multilayered polymer capsules and liposomes, is presented. 50 nm-diameter liposomes and 300 nm-diameter polymer capsules are encapsulated into a larger polymer carrier capsule, demonstrating control over the spatial positioning of the subcompartments, which are either membrane-associated' or 'free-floating' in the aqueous interior. Selective and spatially dependent degradation of the 300 nm-diameter subcompartments (without destroying the structural integrity of the enzyme-loaded liposomes) is also shown, by performing an encapsulated enzymatic reaction using the liposomal subcompartments. These findings cover several important aspects toward the development of engineered compartmentalized carrier vessels for the creation of artificial cell mimics or advanced therapeutic delivery systems.
AB - The design of compartmentalized carriers for advanced drug delivery systems or artificial cells and organelles is of interest for biomedical applications. Herein, a polymer carrier microreactor that contains two different classes of subcompartments, multilayered polymer capsules and liposomes, is presented. 50 nm-diameter liposomes and 300 nm-diameter polymer capsules are encapsulated into a larger polymer carrier capsule, demonstrating control over the spatial positioning of the subcompartments, which are either membrane-associated' or 'free-floating' in the aqueous interior. Selective and spatially dependent degradation of the 300 nm-diameter subcompartments (without destroying the structural integrity of the enzyme-loaded liposomes) is also shown, by performing an encapsulated enzymatic reaction using the liposomal subcompartments. These findings cover several important aspects toward the development of engineered compartmentalized carrier vessels for the creation of artificial cell mimics or advanced therapeutic delivery systems.
U2 - 10.1002/smll.201300125
DO - 10.1002/smll.201300125
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 23606518
SN - 1613-6810
VL - 9
JO - Small
JF - Small
IS - 21
ER -