Spontaneously forming unilamellar nano-sized vesicles - Polydispersity, size, shape and stability

Unilamellar vesicles (ULV) made up of biologically relevant materials can serve as carriers for drug delivery or gene therapy. Compared to extrusion and sonication, methods traditionally used for producing ULV, spontaneous formation offers a cost-effective alternative for ULV mass production. Moreover, the fact that these ULV are most likely, thermodynamically stable assures that the final product will have an extended shelf life. Here we report recent work on ULV formed from long- and short-chain phospholipids (i.e., di 14:0 and di 6:0 phosphatidylcholine), and address some of the important factors that affect their polydispersity, size, shape and stability.