Rapid quantification of cardiolipin and DOPC lipid and vesicle concentration.

A novel approach to quantification of cardiolipin and DOPC lipid and vesicle concentration that is rapid and inexpensive is described. Traditional approaches to quantifying vesicle concentration destroy sample and are often time consuming. Using common laboratory equipment and software, lipid vesicles were reliably quantified allowing for immediate use without significant sample loss. Once calibrated, only absorbance measurements with a UV-Vis spectrophotometer are necessary as input into a Matlab program, which calculates the corresponding vesicle and lipid concentration. Fast and accurate concentration determination for preparations of vesicles is essential for analytical titration experiments necessary for protein/vesicle binding curves.