title: The imaging and the fractal metrology of chimeric liposomal Drug Delivery nano Systems: the role of macromolecular architecture of polymeric guest.
abstract: The major advance of mixed liposomes (the so-called chimeric systems) is to control the size, structure, and morphology of these nanoassemblies, and therefore, system colloidal properties, with the aid of a large variety of parameters, such as chemical architecture and composition. The goal of this study is to investigate the alterations of the physicochemical and morphological characteristics of chimeric dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) liposomes, caused by the incorporation of block and gradient copolymers (different macromolecular architecture) with different chemical compositions (different amounts of hydrophobic component). Light scattering techniques were utilized in order to characterize physicochemically and to delineate the fractal morphology of chimeric liposomes. In this study, we also investigated the structural differences between the prepared chimeric liposomes as are visualized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It could be concluded that all the chimeric liposomes have regular structure, as SEM images revealed, while their fractal dimensionality was found to be dependent on the macromolecular architecture of the polymeric guest.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Panepistimioupolis Zografou, University of Athens , Athens , Greece.
authors.forename: Natassa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pippa
authors.forename: Stergios
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pispas
authors.forename: Costas
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Demetzos
mesh_terms: D015060:1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine / Q000737:chemistry*; D017709:Fractals; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008081:Liposomes / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D011073:Polyamines / Q000737:chemistry; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D008081:Liposomes; D011073:Polyamines; D011091:Polyesters; C000593381:poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline)-grad-poly(2-phenyl-2-oxazoline); C458722:polyethylene oxide-polycaprolactone copolymer; D015060:1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine
keywords: Block copolymers; SEM; chimeric liposomes; fractal dimension; gradient copolymers