HomeKey points of this research results
- We developed “dopasomes,” liposomal nanoparticles cross-linked within the membrane by dopamine self-polymerization, which shows greatly improved stability over conventional liposomes and offers a promising platform for next-generation lipid-based drug-delivery systems.
Outline
Liposomes are spherical vesicles composed of phospholipid bilayers, the primary constituents of cell membranes. They can encapsulate hydrophilic agents in the aqueous core and hydrophobic agents within the lipid bilayer. Liposomes are widely regarded as promising drug-delivery carriers, and several liposomal formulations are commercially available. Nevertheless, conventional liposomes can be destabilized by surfactant-like components in blood (e.g., bile salts and lipoproteins), leading to membrane disruption, aggregation/fusion, and payload leakage.
In this study, we designed and synthesized a self-polymerizable lipid containing a dopamine moiety as a cross-linker, which self-assembled into a liposomal structure termed “dopasome” and exhibited enhanced colloidal stability due to its polydopamine framework. The resulting dopasome demonstrated strong resistance to surfactants and effectively minimized the leakage of encapsulated agents. These results suggest that dopasome is a promising platform for next-generation lipid-based nanocarriers.
