Fluorescence and spectral microscopy analysis of phospholipid vesicle structure and contents

Phospholipid vesicles, or liposomes, are used in a wide variety of investigations and applications. As biomimetic models for living cells, small reaction vessels, and drug delivery vehicles, these self-assembled structures are increasingly studied and exploited. Controlling and analyzing phospholipid vesicle structure is critical in many liposome applications, and extrusion of hydrated lipid suspensions is often employed to produce uniform populations of vesicles. A quantitative fluorescence microscopy method is developed for the analysis of size, lamellarity, and structure of vesicles. In contrast to methods for bulk analysis, microscopy provides information about individual vesicles that is not averaged, and heterogeneities in vesicle populations can be characterized.