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Characterization of Liposomes Using Quantitative Phase Microscopy (QPM)

The rapid development of nanomedicine and drug delivery systems calls for new and effective characterization techniques that can accurately characterize both the properties and the behavior of nanosystems. Standard methods such as dynamic light scattering (DLS) and fluorescent-based assays present c...

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Autores principales: Cauzzo, Jennifer, Jayakumar, Nikhil, Ahluwalia, Balpreet Singh, Ahmad, Azeem, Škalko-Basnet, Nataša
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8142990/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33919040
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13050590
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author Cauzzo, Jennifer
Jayakumar, Nikhil
Ahluwalia, Balpreet Singh
Ahmad, Azeem
Škalko-Basnet, Nataša
author_facet Cauzzo, Jennifer
Jayakumar, Nikhil
Ahluwalia, Balpreet Singh
Ahmad, Azeem
Škalko-Basnet, Nataša
author_sort Cauzzo, Jennifer
collection PubMed
description The rapid development of nanomedicine and drug delivery systems calls for new and effective characterization techniques that can accurately characterize both the properties and the behavior of nanosystems. Standard methods such as dynamic light scattering (DLS) and fluorescent-based assays present challenges in terms of system’s instability, machine sensitivity, and loss of tracking ability, among others. In this study, we explore some of the downsides of batch-mode analyses and fluorescent labeling, while introducing quantitative phase microscopy (QPM) as a label-free complimentary characterization technique. Liposomes were used as a model nanocarrier for their therapeutic relevance and structural versatility. A successful immobilization of liposomes in a non-dried setup allowed for static imaging conditions in an off-axis phase microscope. Image reconstruction was then performed with a phase-shifting algorithm providing high spatial resolution. Our results show the potential of QPM to localize subdiffraction-limited liposomes, estimate their size, and track their integrity over time. Moreover, QPM full-field-of-view images enable the estimation of a single-particle-based size distribution, providing an alternative to the batch mode approach. QPM thus overcomes some of the drawbacks of the conventional methods, serving as a relevant complimentary technique in the characterization of nanosystems.
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spelling pubmed-81429902021-05-25 Characterization of Liposomes Using Quantitative Phase Microscopy (QPM) Cauzzo, Jennifer Jayakumar, Nikhil Ahluwalia, Balpreet Singh Ahmad, Azeem Škalko-Basnet, Nataša Pharmaceutics Article The rapid development of nanomedicine and drug delivery systems calls for new and effective characterization techniques that can accurately characterize both the properties and the behavior of nanosystems. Standard methods such as dynamic light scattering (DLS) and fluorescent-based assays present challenges in terms of system’s instability, machine sensitivity, and loss of tracking ability, among others. In this study, we explore some of the downsides of batch-mode analyses and fluorescent labeling, while introducing quantitative phase microscopy (QPM) as a label-free complimentary characterization technique. Liposomes were used as a model nanocarrier for their therapeutic relevance and structural versatility. A successful immobilization of liposomes in a non-dried setup allowed for static imaging conditions in an off-axis phase microscope. Image reconstruction was then performed with a phase-shifting algorithm providing high spatial resolution. Our results show the potential of QPM to localize subdiffraction-limited liposomes, estimate their size, and track their integrity over time. Moreover, QPM full-field-of-view images enable the estimation of a single-particle-based size distribution, providing an alternative to the batch mode approach. QPM thus overcomes some of the drawbacks of the conventional methods, serving as a relevant complimentary technique in the characterization of nanosystems. MDPI 2021-04-21 /pmc/articles/PMC8142990/ /pubmed/33919040 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13050590 Text en © 2021 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Cauzzo, Jennifer
Jayakumar, Nikhil
Ahluwalia, Balpreet Singh
Ahmad, Azeem
Škalko-Basnet, Nataša
Characterization of Liposomes Using Quantitative Phase Microscopy (QPM)
title Characterization of Liposomes Using Quantitative Phase Microscopy (QPM)
title_full Characterization of Liposomes Using Quantitative Phase Microscopy (QPM)
title_fullStr Characterization of Liposomes Using Quantitative Phase Microscopy (QPM)
title_full_unstemmed Characterization of Liposomes Using Quantitative Phase Microscopy (QPM)
title_short Characterization of Liposomes Using Quantitative Phase Microscopy (QPM)
title_sort characterization of liposomes using quantitative phase microscopy (qpm)
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8142990/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33919040
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13050590
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