A liposome is a small bubble that is artificially made with a material that is similar to that of a normal cell membrane. It is used in administration of drugs in a patient and other nutritional supplements. The drugs or supplement is put inside the phospholipids that form its membrane.
The small bubble was discovered by a man who was busy researching on blood clotting and phospholipids. They are very tiny and spherical in shape. One main characteristic of this bubble is that it is both water soluble and water insoluble. This is because one end of the phospholipids dissolves in water while the other end does not. This repelling and attraction of water makes the membrane with two layers.
The bubbles are found in two categories that are mainly dependent on the number of bilayers they have. Those made of only one bilayer are known as unilamellar. Those with more than one bilayers are known as multilateral.
During the encapsulation, a solution with the drug or supplement is put inside the bubble and cannot leak. This is then transported to the area required. Ones there, there is a fusion of the lipid layer with that of the cell membrane. This makes the solution in the bubble to diffuse into the cell.
Liposomes are good in treating cancers and tumors. This is by the fact that at normal healthy body, the blood vessels are tightly bound with many endothelial cells thus preventing any for of leakage. The sick ones are not so tight and this allows the liposomes to leak from the blood vessels into the cancerous cells that are very permeable. The medicine is then released into the cells.
the liposome is made using several techniques that are advanced. Before they are actually made, there are things to consider first. They are a great revolution to the medicine world.
The small bubble was discovered by a man who was busy researching on blood clotting and phospholipids. They are very tiny and spherical in shape. One main characteristic of this bubble is that it is both water soluble and water insoluble. This is because one end of the phospholipids dissolves in water while the other end does not. This repelling and attraction of water makes the membrane with two layers.
The bubbles are found in two categories that are mainly dependent on the number of bilayers they have. Those made of only one bilayer are known as unilamellar. Those with more than one bilayers are known as multilateral.
During the encapsulation, a solution with the drug or supplement is put inside the bubble and cannot leak. This is then transported to the area required. Ones there, there is a fusion of the lipid layer with that of the cell membrane. This makes the solution in the bubble to diffuse into the cell.
Liposomes are good in treating cancers and tumors. This is by the fact that at normal healthy body, the blood vessels are tightly bound with many endothelial cells thus preventing any for of leakage. The sick ones are not so tight and this allows the liposomes to leak from the blood vessels into the cancerous cells that are very permeable. The medicine is then released into the cells.
the liposome is made using several techniques that are advanced. Before they are actually made, there are things to consider first. They are a great revolution to the medicine world.
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