title: Microtubules formed by capillary extrusion and fusion of surfactant vesicles.
abstract: Polyhedral non-ionic surfactant vesicles formed from mixtures of polyoxyethylene-5-cetyl ether (C(16)EO(5)) or polyoxethylene-5-stearyl ether (C(18)EO(5)) with poly-24-oxyethylene cholesteryl ether (Solulan C24) and low amounts of cholesterol, when extruded from microcapillaries under pressure fuse to form multi-lamellar tubules up to about 80 microm in length. The diameter of the extruded tubules depends on the exit diameter of the capillaries used, in this paper generally around 1 microm. Under some circumstances, instead of linear tubules, the tubules form as concentric whorls which can be unraveled into their constituent tubules, indicating the strength of the systems. Vesicles can be formed within these tubular structures to act as a model for vesicular flow in elastic capillaries. Microparticles encapsulated with the primary polyhedral vesicles after extrusion are seen within the tubules, promising the possibility of a model for the study of microparticle flow within vessels. Preliminary studies on the use of the tubules as templates for polymerisation are also presented.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Drug Delivery Research, The School of Pharmacy, University of London, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, UK.
authors.forename: Behrooz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nasseri
authors.forename: Alexander T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Florence
mesh_terms: D008863:Microspheres; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D013501:Surface-Active Agents