A Preliminary Study on Enzyme Adhesion/Encapsulation within Janus Liposomes

Abstract

This thesis describes a research effort of encapsulating water-soluble enzymes within Janus liposomes, with aims to enhance the latter’s motion ability as micromotors. Janus particles have been of interest to the development of new drug delivery systems due to their ability to have one side of the particle be decorated with a micromotor and therefore increasing the efficiency of its movement. While many inorganic/polymer Janus particles display limited biocompatibility, their lipid-based counterparts, i.e., Janus liposome, bypass this issue thanks to naturally occurring composition. Catalase, a highly efficient enzyme to convert hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water, has been chosen for this study and its distribution and interaction with Janus liposomes are followed with fluorescence microscopy.