Gold liposomes
- Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
Lipids are an important class of molecules, being found in membranes, HDL, LDL, and other natural structures, serving essential roles in structure and with varied functions such as compartmentalization and transport. Synthetic liposomes are also widely used as delivery and release vehicles for drugs, cosmetics, and other chemicals; soap is made from lipids. Lipids may form bilayer or multilammellar vesicles, micelles, sheets, tubes, and other structures. Lipid molecules may be linked to proteins, carbohydrates, or other moieties. EM study of this essential ingredient of life has lagged, due to lack of direct methods to visualize lipids without extensive alteration. OsO4 reacts with double bonds in membrane phospholipids, forming crossbridges. This has been the method of choice to both fix and stain membranes, thus far. An earlier work described the use of tungstate clusters (W{sub 11}) attached to lipid moieties to form lipid structures and lipid probes. With the development of gold clusters, it is now possible to covalently and specifically link a dense gold sphere to a lipid molecule; for example, reacting a mono-N-hydroxysuccinimide Nanogold cluster with the amino group on phosphatidyl ethanolaminine. Examples of a gold-fatty acid and a gold-phospholipid are shown.
- OSTI ID:
- 468932
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-960877-; CNN: Grant RR 01777; TRN: 97:001308-0190
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Microscopy and microanalysis 1996, Minneapolis, MN (United States), 11-15 Aug 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of Microscopy and microanalysis 1996; Bailey, G.W.; Corbett, J.M.; Dimlich, R.V.W.; Michael, J.R.; Zaluzec, N.J. [eds.]; PB: 1107 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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