Mn. Jones, THE SURFACE-PROPERTIES OF PHOSPHOLIPID LIPOSOME SYSTEMS AND THEIR CHARACTERIZATION, Advances in colloid and interface science, 54, 1995, pp. 93-128
The field of liposome (vesicle) research has expanded considerably ove
r the last 30 years. In physical chemical terms liposomes have many of
the characteristics of colloidal particles and their stability is det
ermined in part by the classical surface forces. It is now possible to
engineer a wide range of liposomes varying in size, phospholipid comp
osition and surface characteristics. The surfaces of liposomes can be
modified by the choice of bilayer lipid as well as by the incorporatio
n and covalent linkage of proteins (e.g. antibodies and sugar binding
proteins [lectins]), glycoproteins and synthetic polymers. Much of the
impetus for liposome design has come from their potential value as dr
ug delivery systems. The development of technologies for the productio
n of such a range of liposome systems has presented interesting proble
ms in the characterisation of their properties. The review addresses t
he progress that has been made in characterising the surfaces of diffe
rent types of liposomes with specific reference to their electrophoret
ic properties and their interpretation and the physical interactions b
etween liposomal bilayers.