Mempro™ Giant Unilamellar Vesicles Liposomes

Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) liposome is a perfect tool to visualize phase separation and lipid rafts in model systems. The average diameter of GUVs is around 100 μm, so they can be easily observed under fluorescent microscope, when incorporated with fluorescent probe during vesicle formation. GUVs can be constructed from various lipid mixtures, and maintain stable condition under a wide range of pH, pressure or temperature.

Figure 1. GUV formation chamber. A perfect tool to visualize phase separation and lipid rafts in model systems. 2009)

We provide a simple method for producing cell-sized unilamellar liposomes under mild conditions. This procedure is ideally suited to work with labile and highly reactive molecules.

Figure 2. Diagram of the suggested formation mechanism for GUVs. Initially there is an ordered monolayer of phospholipids at the interface between an aqueous and an organic phase (A).During evaporation, bubbles form (B) that rupture the phospholipid film into fragments (C).The resulting phospholipid monolayer fragments fuse to bilayers (E), which spontaneously vesiculate (F). An alternative way for the formation of bilayered phospholipid fragments (D) involves micellar structures having entrapped liquid organic solvent. (ALEXANDER MOSCHO et al. Rapid preparation of giant unilamellar vesicles.)

Besides GUVs, we also provide other size of liposomes, such as Small Unilamellar Vesicles (SUV), Large Unilamellar Vesicles (LUV) and Multivesicular Vesicles (MVV), and respective analysis service.

Reference: 

Olga Wesołowska et al. Giant unilamellar vesicles — a perfect tool to visualize phase separation and lipid rafts in model systems. Acta Biochimica Polonica. Vol. 56 No. 1/2009, 33–39
ALEXANDER MOSCHO et al. Rapid preparation of giant unilamellar vesicles. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, Vol. 93, pp. 11443-11447, October 1996.