Electroformation of giant unilamellar vesicle (GUV) towards application as biomembrane mimetic systems

Abstract

Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) are known to mimic the cellular membrane in different applications. The electroformation has received considerable attention for growing GUVs of different lipids with high yield and unilamelarity. However, the mechanisms governing electroformation are still not fully understood. In this project, we shall evaluate the influence of the experimental parameters on the electroformation of giant vesicles. Different frequencies (1 - 105 Hz) and AC voltages (0,5 - 5V) will be applied in the electroformation of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) and 2-oleoyl-1-bpamitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) phospholipids. GUVs will be characterized by optical microscopies in order to establish diagrams containing details on the formation, yield and distribution of vesicle sizes. The giant vesicles will be further applied in an interaction study with the xanthene eosin, which is relevant for photodynamic therapy. This research project is conceived within the research project from Fapesp (2016/13280-0) in development at the Department of Biotechnology of FCL/UNESP, Assis. (AU)