title: Liposome filtration. Dependence on transition temperature.
abstract: Liposomes formed by vortexing and passed through polycarbonate surface retention membranes showed appreciable differences in filtration behavior depending on the temperature of filtration relation relative to the liposome gel-liquid crystal transition temperature. Below transition, liposomes were filterable and size distributions could be determined; the cumulative volume distributions were log-normal. Above transition, liposomes were not filterable: smaller liposomes were formed until a limiting size was reached. These results suggest that liquid crystal liposome size distributions cannot be determined by filtration. This filtration behavior is a physical property of liposomes, related to the gel-liquid crystal transition, not previously reported. This property could be exploited as a new method for controlling liposome size distributions, but the implications for lipid membranes, including biological membranes, are general.
mesh_terms: D005374:Filtration; D008081:Liposomes / Q000032:analysis*; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D008081:Liposomes; D008567:Membranes, Artificial