Increased efficiency of charge-mediated fusion in polymer/lipid hybrid membranes

Abstract

Significance The discovery that amphiphilic polymers, similar to phospholipids, can self-assemble to vesicles has inspired numerous applications. For instance, these polymersomes are employed for drug delivery due to their increased chemical and mechanical stability. These polymers can be also mixed with lipids to form the so-called hybrid membranes, which provide further biocompatibility, while new properties emerge. However, the fusion of these hybrids is to date barely explored. Herein, we determined that hybrid vesicles made of poly(dimethylsiloxane)-graft-poly(ethylene oxide) and oppositely charged lipids undergo rapid fusion, surpassing the efficiency in natural membranes. We provide biophysical insights into the mechanism and demonstrate that anionic lipids are not strictly required when the process is employed for the integration of membrane proteins.

Unraveling the Phase Behavior, Mechanical Stability, and Protein Reconstitution Properties of Polymer–Lipid Hybrid Vesicles

“…Additionally, the structural properties predicted by the proposed model are in very good agreement with previous experimental results for both pure liposomes/polymersomes and HVs. The dependence of several of these properties on the polymer content potentially enables tuning the membrane environment for several practical applications of HVs, as discussed elsewhere for drug delivery and synthetic biology. − One of the most noteworthy benefits of incorporating polymers in lipid membranes is the enhancement of vesicle robustness, which is closely tied to their mechanical properties and are addressed in the next section.…”

Structurally Dynamic Monocyte–Liposome Hybrid Vesicles as an Anticancer Drug Delivery Vehicle: A Crucial Correlation of Microscopic Elasticity and Ultrafast Dynamics

“…Across different LP concentrations, a prominent fast relaxation component with a time scale of ∼8 ps was consistently observed, primarily attributed to the relaxation of bulk water. 19 Additionally, a distinct relaxation component spanning the range 38−138 ps was obtained, indicating the presence of interfacial bound or trapped water molecules within the LP membrane. 19,26 The contribution of this later time component was found to be relatively minor and increase with increasing LP concentrations.…”

“…Subsequently, fusion takes place, leading to the formation of a transient dimer in the next two steps. 19 During these two steps, a nanochannel is formed by opening the interfacial membrane layer, facilitating the mixing of intervesicular content. This is the stage where chemiluminescence begins to generate and persists until equilibrium is reached.…”

Combinational antitumor strategies of exosomes as drug carriers: Mini review

“…In fact, with a deep understanding of exosome properties, it will be a pivotal method for us to adjust the proportion of different components in hybrid vesicles to produce superior materials. In addition, new techniques, such as charge-mediated hybrid fusion, open more possibilities of applying hybrid vesicles (Marusic et al, 2022).…”