New design of vesicle-forming potential anti-cancer agent

A novel amphiphile derivative of the anti-cancer agent PALA (N-(phosphonoac etyl)-L-aspartate), has been synthesized: dioctadecyl N-(phosphonoacetyl)-L -aspartate (PALAmod). Its aptitude to form bilayers or vesicles has been in vestigated. The melting temperature T-m of the alkyl chains of PALAmod is c omparable with those of the bilayers of distearoyl phosphatidylcholine (DSP C) or distearoyl phosphatidylglycerol (DSPG) which have fatty chains of the same length. Encapsulation of two different hydrophilic probes, carboxyflu orescein (CF) and glucose, was examined, demonstrating the likely existence of vesicular structures either in lecithin-PALAmod mixtures or in pure PAL Amod, respectively. The size of the particles has been measured from quasie lastic light scattering experiments. The particle diameter at fixed pH (6.9 ), goes from 74 nm at [PALAmod] 3.6 mM to 52 nm at 14.8 mM.