Weixin Wang, Shukun Shen, Meijing Li, Jian-Gang Chen, Pujun Jin, Daodao Hu, Atul Parikh Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 728, 138478(2026)
Inspired by the structure of diatoms, three kinds of organoalkoxysilanes were chosen to construct “silica encapsulated liposome” materials, to increase the physical stability and expand the functionality of the liposomes. The natural lipid bilayer organization of phospholipids was used to spatially localize hydrophobic organoalkoxysilanols, 3-Methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MAPTMS), 3-Aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS), and Tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS). The different ways of co-organization of the hydrolyzed products of organoalkoxysilanes, silanols, with lipid bilayers were deeply explored. The in situ silicification process of the three precursor inner lipid bilayers was monitored by fluorescence probe technique and CV, which yielded detailed information. Moreover, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was adopted to provide nanoscale information about the specific position of silanols inner the phospholipid bilayer, and the distance of R-Si-OH to the bilayer center was analyzed through density profiles. Based on the above results, the molecular pre-assembly model was proposed and used to explain the influence of silicification on the properties and functions of liposomes of liposomes. This study provides a new route to design silica-coated liposomes with various functional moieties, including hydrophilic, hydrophobic and amphiphilic counterparts, which might help improve the stability and targeting of liposomes during clinical use.
DOI:10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138478