Electron microscopical study of the structure of liposome-type artificial red blood cells stabilized with carboxymethylchitin.
Stable liposome-type artificial red blood cells containing either an aqueous bromothymol solution or erythrocyte haemolysate were produced using carboxymethylchitin as a stabilizer. The structure of the resulting vesicles was investigated by electron microscopy after freeze-fracturing, freeze-substitution and negative staining. The vesicles were not homogeneous but contained unilamellar and multilamellar structures. The maximum size was about 2 microns; most vesicles were about 200-500 nm in size. The carboxymethylchitin did not yield a continuous layer but rather occurred in patches on the membrane surface probably forming a mesh-like layer over the entire liposome surface.
D002686:Chitin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D004339:Drug Compounding / Q000379:methods*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005614:Freeze Fracturing; D008081:Liposomes; D008854:Microscopy, Electron
D008081:Liposomes; D002686:Chitin; C044872:O-(carboxymethyl)chitin