Fabrication of Lipid Nanotubules by Ultrasonic Drag Force

Abstract

This work reports a new method of fabricating lipid nanotubules using ultrasonic Stokes drag force in theory and experiment. Ultrasonic Stokes drag force generated using a planar piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer in a remotely controllable way is introduced. When ultrasonic Stokes drag force is applied on lipid vesicles, the lipid nanotubules attached can be dragged out from the lipid film. In order to demonstrate the formation mechanism of the lipid nanotubules produced by ultrasonic drag force clearly, a theoretical kinetic model is developed. In the experiments, the lipid nanotubules can be rapidly and efficiently fabricated using this ultrasonic transducer both in deionized water and NaCl solutions with different concentrations. The stretching speed of the lipid nanotubules can reach 33 μm/s, approximately 10 times faster than that of the existing methods. The formed lipid nanotubules have a diameter of 600 ± 100 nm (>80%). The length can reach the millimeter level. This work provided a remotely controllable, highly efficient, high-velocity, and solution environment-independent approach for fabricating lipid nanotubules.

Amyloids Formed by Nonaromatic Amino Acid Methionine and Its Cross with Phenylalanine Significantly Affects Phospholipid Vesicle Membrane: An Insight into Hypermethioninemia Disorder

“…In terms of the origin and driving force for the formation of the tubule-like structure, it is reported that two major protocols are there for the formation of such an extended tubule-like structure. One of the extensively accepted protocols is the deformation of the vesicular morphology of the lipids induced by foreign biomolecules, like nanoparticles, external dragging force, proteins, etc. − Another protocol for the formation of a long tail-like tubular structure is reported to take place via the process of the self-assembly of the lipid molecules. − In our present study, the maximum loss of the bilayer rigidity and hence the disruption are found to take place in the case of the interaction of the 1:1 cross fibrils made up of 10 mM Met and 10 mM Phe. Hence, it is expected that the interaction of the 1:1 cross fibrils of Met and Phe with the lipid vesicle membrane leads to the extraction of the lipids from the vesicles through the bilayer disruption followed by the tail formation by those extracted lipid molecules, apparently looking like a tube.…”

Review of the design of power ultrasonic generator for piezoelectric transducer

“…Although researchers have achieved how to manipulate the microparticle medium with SAW, keeping the accuracy control of SAW still is a technical challenge. In recent years, SAW microfluidic technology has developed quickly to control the acoustic radiation force, acoustic streaming, atomization, suspension, and micro-jetting, which can meet partial requirements in the field of DNA nanoparticles encapsulation [74] , acoustic tweezers for particle and fluid micromanipulation [75] , preparation of nanoscale contrast agents and lipid nanotubes [76] , [77] . Furthermore, sonodynamic therapy, as a new non-invasive treatment method, is widely used to process ultrasonic thrombolysis or deliver drug particles into the cell by releasing nanobubble pressure, which is activated through the effect of cavitation, fluid flow, and acoustic radiation force [78] , [79] , [80] .…”