Control of the incorporation and release of guest molecules by photodimerization in liposomes

Publication date: Available online 23 June 2018
Source:Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology
Author(s): Ryo Shimokawa, Masafumi Ueda, Kouta Sugikawa, Atsushi Ikeda
In a drug-delivery system using liposomes, the use of guest molecules bearing hydrophilic moieties results in some leakage from lipid membranes. We suppressed the leakage of coumarins (used as model guest molecules in a drug-delivery system) from lipid membranes by photodimerization at 365 nm. The reason for this phenomenon could be ascribed to an increase in the hydrophobicity of the dimers of the coumarins. The formation of the dimers was detected by ¹H NMR, UV–vis absorption, and mass spectra and the leakage percentages of the coumarins were determined by ¹H NMR spectra based on the peak intensities. In contrast, when the dimer reverted to a monomer by ultraviolet (254 nm) irradiation, the resulting monomer was released from liposomes.

Graphical abstract