Liposomes small molecule entrapment

Concerning the mechanism of action of catechins, studies carried out on S. aureus and E. coli cells by Ikigai et al. [72] reported that their bactericidal effect is primarily involved in the damage of bacterial membranes catechins induce a rapid leakage of small molecules entrapped in the intraliposomal space, determining the aggregation of the liposomes. These actions cause damage in the membrane lipid bilayer and cell death (Table 1). 

Fenske DB, Cullis PR. Entrapment of small molecules and nucleic acid-based drugs in liposomes. Methods Enzymol 2005 391 7. 

Abstract. The PURESystem (for short PS) is a defined set of about 80 different macromolecular species which can perform protein synthesis starting from a coding DNA. To understand the processes that take place inside a liposome with entrapped PS, several simulation approaches, of either a deterministic or stochastic nature, have been proposed in the literature. To correctly describe some peculiar phenomena that are observed only in very small liposomes (such as power-law distribution of solutes and supercrowding effect), a stochastic approach seems necessary, due to the very small average number of molecules contained in these liposomes. Here we recall the results reported in other works published by us and by other Authors, discussing the importance of a stochastic simulation approach and of a fine description of the system both these aspects, in fact, were not properly acknowledged in such previous papers. 

---