Liposomes: what they are, what they do, how they are made?
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| Diagram representing a single phospholipid with it's hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tail. |
Phospholipids are the basic building block of every cell membrane in the human body. How they work and form membranes is elegant and miraculous.
Each phospholipid molecule has three major parts, one head and two tails. The head is made from three molecular components: choline, phosphate, and glycerol. The important thing to remember here is that the head is hydrophilic— in other words, it is attracted to water. Each tail is a long, essential fatty acid chain. These fatty acids are hydrophobic— that is, they are repelled by water.
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| Figure 1: Phospholipids forming a line in aqueous solution |
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| Figure 2: Phospholipids forming a tail-to-tail bilayer in aqueous solution. |
When phospholipids are put in an aqueous (water-based) solution, the hydrophilic heads of the phospholipids form a line side by side with their tails behind— much like swimmers at a starting gate(see Figure 1). Then because the tails are hydrophobic, another phospholipid layer will line itself up tail-to-tail in response to the same aqueous environment (see Figure 2).This natural alignment creates two-rows of tightly fitted phospholipid molecules, called a phospholipid bilayer. It is these phospholipid bilayers that form the membranes around and within every cell in our bodies. One bilayer is about one 1,000th the thickness of this page.
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| Cutaway drawing showing the bilayer structure of phospholipid liposomes. |
The phospholipid liposomes in employed in Lypo-Spheric™ Vitamin C not only provide a natural and powerful delivery system but provide an important source of phosphatidylcholine which provides massive heath and anti-aging benefits on its own.
It is these sub-microscopic liposomal bubbles that are part of every application of Liposomal Encapsulation Technology. Since the body is litterally held together with phospholipids, these liposomal spheres are readily accepted by the body as essential building materials. Because of their tiny size, they are able to be quickly assimilated into the bloodstream for delivery throughout the body. Then, as a needy cell "borrows" the fresh phospholipid molecules from the liposome for rebuilding, the contents of the liposome are delivered to the same needy cell.