Glycerylphosphate derivatives

Liposomes are artificial structures composed of phospholipid bilayers exhibiting amphiphilic properties (chapter 12). In complex liposome morphologies, concentric spheres or sheets of lipid bilayers are usually separated by aqueous regions that are sequestered or compartmentalized from the surrounding solution. The phospholipid constituents of liposomes consist of hydrophobic lipid tails connected to a head constructed of various glycerylphosphate derivatives. The hydrophobic interaction between the fatty acid tails is the primary driving force for creating liposomal bilayers in aqueous solutions. 

All glycerylphospholipids are considered as derivatives of sn-glyceryl-3-phosphoric acid that is acylated by two moieties of acyl-CoA producing 1,2-diacyl-,vn-glyceryl-3-phosphoric acid. The mechanism of substitution of glycerylphosphate of naturally occurring phospholipids produces phosphatidic acids with saturated or monounsaturated fatty acid residue in sn-l position and polyunsaturated acyl residue in sn-2 position Fig. (6). 

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