Thursday, July 25, 2013

What Are The Uses Of Liposome

By Danielle Galloway


Medical science is constantly evolving. Through the years, it continues to look for solutions and treatments for various medical diseases. One of the remarkable discoveries that science stumbled into is the liposome. This is a recent breakthrough that is believed to be potent in treating many medical malfunctions. It is also used to help administer drugs more efficiently and increase the success rate of organ transplant among other functions.

Liposomes are microscopical vesicles developed in an artificial environment like a laboratory. These are composed of phospholipids that are naturally produced or extracted from another source. Its outer wall has similar composition to that of a cell wall. This allows direct interaction between the cells and the liposomes. These tiny, spheroid-shaped bubbles are typically watery in its core.

This structure is most commonly used in introducing medicines to the patient's body. Using this as a drug vessel has proven to be more effective than any other methods of administering the medications. The vesicles are uniquely designed to deliver the drugs to a particular part of the human body through the diffusion process. This makes it a perfect choice for administering antibodies to directed parts of the body. This can also carry hydrophobic drugs because of its double-layered membrane.

Moreover, this can extend the delivery time of the administered drugs. The bi-layered sphere slowly releases the drugs in interval over a period of time. This is hypothetically believed to help reduce side-effects since the direct impact of the applied medications are limited only to the affected tissues. This also means that the efficiency of the drugs is maximized.

The vesicles are also believed to be an effective cancer fighting agent. The spheroids can mark the cancer cells. It can also slip right to the tumor by going through the blood flow. This stays in the bloodstreams as well because of its miniature size and its property that is similar to the blood vessels. The drug vessels cannot pass through the endothelial wall as opposed to cancer cells, which are naturally leaky.

This can also help fight autoimmune diseases. In most transplant surgeries, the body initially identifies the newly transplanted organ as a foreign object. As a result, the immune system will try to attack it as the body's natural reaction to protect itself from infestation. This can lead to the body's rejection of the harvested organ. The artificial lipid can help suppress the immune system to slow down its progression.

However, this drug vessel is not spontaneously produced. There are many different methods to create the vesicles depending on its function and purpose. The methods of dissemination and the conditions in which it will be released must be taken into account. The type of material to be transported determines how the structure is created.

These vesicles come in various sizes. The vessels are typically small for the white blood cells to easily engulf the bubbles before the drug it carries can be released. Prior to its production, the size and numbers of vesicles to be created have to be determined. Possibilities of reproduction must also be anticipated.

If there is one thing that could hold back medical experts from using liposome, it would be the production expenses. At present, mass production is not feasible since the vessels may not last after it has been produced. There were instances of unintentional mixing of drugs and cases of instability as well. Other than that, nobody can argue of the wonderful benefits this breakthrough promises.




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