Characterization of Fluorinated Catansomes: A Promising Vector in Drug-Delivery

Catansomes, which are vesicles prepared from mixtures of oppositely
charged surfactants, have been suggested as effective alternatives
to phospholipid vesicles, i.e., liposomes, in applications such as
drug-delivery. This is mainly due to their enhanced chemical and physical
stability as well as to their relatively easy preparation, which is
an advantage for large-scale productions. In this study we have investigated
catansomes prepared from a perfluorinated anionic surfactant (sodium
perfluorooctanoate) premixed with a hydrogenated cationic surfactant
(dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide or 1-dodecylpyridinium chloride).
The aim was to gain insights into the physicochemical properties of
these systems, such as size, stability, surface charge, and membrane
morphology, which are essential for their use in drug-delivery applications.
The catansomes were mostly unilamellar and 100–200 nm in size,
and were stable for more than five months at room temperature. After
loading the catansomes with the fluorescent marker calcein, they were
found to exhibit an appreciable encapsulation efficiency and a low
calcein leakage over time. The addition of fatty acids to calcein-loaded
catansomes considerably promoted the release of calcein, and the rate
and efficiency of calcein release were found to be proportional to
the fatty acid concentration and chain length. Our results prove the
feasibility of utilizing catansomes as drug-delivery vehicles as well
as provide a means to efficiently release the encapsulated load.