For over half a century, scientists and medical personnel have been relying on liposomes as a method of directing the transport of substances within the body. They are essentially artificial biological containers, constructed with phospholipids which make up a lipid bilayer membrane, forming what is known as a 'vesicle'. These phospholipids, containing hydrophilic heads and hydrophobic tails, face away from one another producing a vesicle which favors aqueous conditions on the inside and outside, and a layer in between which does not favor aqueous conditions and does not allow aqueous solution to pass through. This prevents the solution inside the vesicle from mixing with that outside, effectively containing its contents.
The medical purpose of these artificial vesicles includes that of drug delivery, bio-detoxification, and the transfection of DNA. Because they are composed of a natural lipid bilayer, they are able to merge with other bilayers such as that of a cell membrane. This fusion of bilayers merges the contents of the vesicle and the cell.
The characteristic which allows for the assimilation of lipid bilayers makes Liposomes a fantastic tool for drug delivery. The vesicles can be manufactured to contain a chosen drug, and then injected into the body. Their bilayer membrane prevents the leakage of drug solution or reaction of the drug with the body before reaching the intended site of action and fusion with a cell membrane.
Empty Liposomes can also be used to detoxify the body when it has been exposed to an excess drug intake. They are typically injected into the bloodstream, and fashioned to capture the drug contents within them by means of a transmembrane pH gradient. Consequently surrounded by the vesicle's lipid bilayer, the drug is forbidden from continuing to react with the body, reducing the harmful effects of excessive dosage.
Sometimes, genetic material will be delivered to cells similar to the way drugs are delivered. This is completed as a method of modifying the DNA within a cell. By inserting new DNA into a cell, it can begin to function with entirely new abilities.
Though Liposomes are man-made, they are by no means unable to react with the body in a natural way. Their lipid bilayer is typically similar if not exactly the same as that of a cell membrane, which allows them to function with the body without resulting in a negative reaction. They have significantly increased the ability of humans to modify cellular activity, and continue to improve the way we interact with the body.
The medical purpose of these artificial vesicles includes that of drug delivery, bio-detoxification, and the transfection of DNA. Because they are composed of a natural lipid bilayer, they are able to merge with other bilayers such as that of a cell membrane. This fusion of bilayers merges the contents of the vesicle and the cell.
The characteristic which allows for the assimilation of lipid bilayers makes Liposomes a fantastic tool for drug delivery. The vesicles can be manufactured to contain a chosen drug, and then injected into the body. Their bilayer membrane prevents the leakage of drug solution or reaction of the drug with the body before reaching the intended site of action and fusion with a cell membrane.
Empty Liposomes can also be used to detoxify the body when it has been exposed to an excess drug intake. They are typically injected into the bloodstream, and fashioned to capture the drug contents within them by means of a transmembrane pH gradient. Consequently surrounded by the vesicle's lipid bilayer, the drug is forbidden from continuing to react with the body, reducing the harmful effects of excessive dosage.
Sometimes, genetic material will be delivered to cells similar to the way drugs are delivered. This is completed as a method of modifying the DNA within a cell. By inserting new DNA into a cell, it can begin to function with entirely new abilities.
Though Liposomes are man-made, they are by no means unable to react with the body in a natural way. Their lipid bilayer is typically similar if not exactly the same as that of a cell membrane, which allows them to function with the body without resulting in a negative reaction. They have significantly increased the ability of humans to modify cellular activity, and continue to improve the way we interact with the body.
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