Effect of phospholipid tail length and saturation on the spontaneous vesicle formation in the presence of amphiphilic drugs

Biological membranes and their interactions are naturally of the utmost importance for all living entities. Amphiphilic drugs interact and self-assemble with phospholipids and are expected to influence properties related to pharmacological activity and toxicity. For instance, they are expected to play a crucial role regarding specific interactions with receptor proteins, hemolytic degradation, as well as function as a drug delivery agent in release mechanisms and transport of drug molecules across cell membranes. The main purpose of the experiment is to determine the influence of the phospholipid tail length on the spontaneous vesicle formation in presence of amphiphilic drugs. The other key objective is determining the distribution of the drug in spontaneously formed drug/phospholipid vesicles by means of employing hydrated as well as a deuterated phospholipid in a contrast match study.