Osmotic conditions in rheologic properties of erytrocites

Abstract The decreasing viability and in vivo survival of red blood cells, RBCs, observed in blood bank-storage are due to alterations in their rheologic properties and metabolic status. However, there is a lack of electrokinetic experiments with erythrocytes by the screening produced by the high concentration of buffer required to keep the isoosmotic conditions. Electrokinetic measurements in a wide range of sodium chloride and tetrasodium pyrophosphate are undertaken on liposomes as cell models, and in order to get an aqueous media suitable for maintaining osmotic conditions and allowing electrophoretic mobility measurements as well, advantage has been taken of dextrose properties. Measur…

Theoretical and experimental evaluation of decypolyglucoside vesicles as potential drug delivery systems

The aim of this work was to ascertain the capability of a commercial mixture of decylpolyglucoside (Orami.x NS10) to form vesicle structures in water, either alone or in association with cholesterol. To this purpose, we compared results obtained from a theoretical model with those acquired from the experimental characterization of different Orami.x NS10/cliolesterol mixtures. The germen vesicular formation theory was used to predict the formation process of vesicular structures. To this purpose, the energy balance involved in the vesicle formation was calculated using critical concentration for vesicle formation (ccf), surface tension and molecular area of decylpolyglucoside. The ccf was me…

Interaction of ionic compounds with multilamellar liposomes. An electrokinetic model

Abstract We have proposed a theoretical model of interaction of ionic compounds (ionic adsorbate or ionic drugs), with multilamellar-liposomes, by means of their electrokinetic property variation with the ionic compound concentration. In this work, we show the complete development of the model proposed. Its theoretical results have been analysed to study the influence on the zeta-potential value of the following: number of membranes, size, shear-plane situation, critical concentration of formation (ccf), and the ionic compound concentration which annuls the zeta-potential value of the multilamellar-liposomes formed.

Geometric and thermodynamic considerations about the lipid vesicles formation in water (I. Unilamellar vesicles)

Abstract A parametrization based on the differential geometry and on the thermodynamics of dispersed systems has been developed in order to explain the processes leading to the formation of lipid vesicles in water. Several factors of known importance such as aqueous interlayer, chain-length, lipid chain-packing and membrane asymmetry, as well as the existence of two different surfaces in the vesicular bilayer have been considered. The barrier which amphiphile molecules need to surpass in order to the vesicle be formed has three contributions related to the surface energy, the mechanical energy due to overpressure and the excess of chemical potential. The theoretical results define the condi…

Effect of several electrolytes on the rheopectic behaviour of concentrated soy lecithin dispersions

Abstract Concentrated dispersions of soy lecithin (60 g/L) prepared by sonication-freezing–unfreezing method show a non-newtonian behaviour and a significant rheopexy. Shear stress versus shear rate plots shows a loop hysteresis area, which have been studied in soy lecithin dispersions prepared with aqueous solutions of various electrolytes (NaCl, CaCl2, MgCl2 and AlCl3) with concentrations in the range 10−5 to 10−2 mol/L. Also we have studied the effect of different pH on soy lecithin dispersions. The results have revealed a very sensitive influence of nature, valence and concentration of the respective cations and the pH value on the loop hysteresis area values. It seems to indicate that …

Modified hydrodynamic chromatography and its applications to liposomes

Viscoelastic properties of concentrated dispersions in water of soy lecithin

Abstract Viscoelastic properties of soy lecithin dispersions at 60, 120, 180 and 240 g l−1 in water have been studied as a function of ionic strength (NaCl concentrations in the range 10−5–10−2 mol l−1) and of preparation method (sonication, freezing–unfreezing). Viscosity measurements of sonicated dispersions in a rotatory viscometer show Newtonian and plastic (Bingham) behavior, whereas the frozen–unfrozen dispersions show a spectacular change in their viscoelastic properties, that is, a non-Newtonian behavior with pseudoplastic characteristics and rheopexy. These properties have been related to electrokinetic characteristics of the segregated vesicles in each case. A decrease in ζ-potent…

Thermodynamical aspects regarding the formation of self-assembly decylpolyglucoside structures

In this study, we used a generalized form of a recently reported parametrization based on the differential geometry and the thermodynamics of dispersed systems to ascertain the capability of decylpolyglucoside alone or in association with cholesterol to form vesicle structures (niosomes). The theoretical calculation of the energy balance involved in the vesicles formation was carried out using values of the critical concentration of formation (ccf), surface tension and the molar surface area of the non-ionic surfactant. Furthermore, in order to confirm the theoretical results found in this work, we prepared and characterized vesicles made with decylpolyglucoside and cholesterol. The vesicle…

Estimation of the size of liposomes by modified HDC

Internal calibration in modified hydrodynamic chromatography has been realized by the approach of Prieve and Hoysan, i.e. the use of polystyrene monodisperse latexes to evaluate the equivalent capillary radius, R. The value obtained has been used to estimate the average sizes of a variety of liposome samples from egg yolk lecithin.