Laminar and turbulent flow effects in high-pressure homogenization of liposomes and perfluorocarbon nanoemulsions.

Since flow characteristics are still largely unexplored for high-pressure homogenization, we investigated particle break-up at different Reynolds numbers and transition ranges in two channels (Y- and Z-channel). While the channel geometries are often treated as "black boxes", opening the channels and measuring their geometries allowed a detailed analysis of flow conditions. Transitions from laminar to turbulent flow for pressures of 250-2,000 bar have measurable effects on the sizes of perfluorocarbon (PFC)-nanoemulsion droplets emulsified by phospholipids processed simultaneously in liposomal conformation.

Increased Cellular Uptake of ApoE3- or c(RGD)-Modified Liposomes for Glioblastoma Therapy Depending on the Target Cells.

As effective treatment of glioblastoma is still an unmet need, targeted delivery systems for efficient treatment are of utmost interest. Therefore, in this paper, surface modifications with a small peptide c(RGD) or physiological protein (ApoE3) were investigated. Cellular uptake in murine endothelial cells (bEnd.

Elevated Cellular Uptake of Succinimide- and Glucose-Modified Liposomes for Blood-Brain Barrier Transfer and Glioblastoma Therapy.

The uptake of four liposomal formulations was tested with the murine endothelial cell line bEnd.3 and the human glioblastoma cell line U-87 MG. All formulations were composed of DPPC, cholesterol, 5 mol% of mPEG (2000 Da, conjugated to DSPE), and the dye DiD.

Emulsifying mechanisms of phospholipids in high-pressure homogenization of perfluorocarbon nanoemulsions.

Phospholipids are the most ubiquitous emulsifiers in foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and human physiology, but their emulsifying properties are extremely complex. Differential analyses of mechanisms contributing to their functionality are presented in a modular approach. Addition of cholesterol to a natural phospholipid blend disturbs emulsification beyond specific thresholds for size, polydispersity and formation of emulsifying monolayers.

Ordering kinetics in the active Ising model.

We undertake a numerical study of the ordering kinetics in the two-dimensional (2D) active Ising model (AIM), a discrete flocking model with a conserved density field coupled to a nonconserved magnetization field. We find that for a quench into the liquid-gas coexistence region and in the ordered liquid region, the characteristic length scale of both the density and magnetization domains follows the Lifshitz-Cahn-Allen growth law, R(t)∼t^{1/2}, consistent with the growth law of passive systems with scalar order parameter and nonconserved dynamics. The system morphology is analyzed with the two-point correlation function and its Fourier transform, the structure factor, which conforms to the well-known Porod's law, a manifestation of the coarsening of compact domains with smooth boundaries.