LIPID VESICLES, PROCESS FOR PRODUCING LIPID VESICLES AND METHOD OF IMMOBILIZING GENE ON LIPID VESICLES

摘要

Lipid vesicles having a small size can be obtained by a two-step emulsification process which comprises the step of adding water to a treatment liquor containing a sorbitan ester as a primary emulsifier and a solvent and emulsifying by ultrasonication and the step of distilling off the solvent from the thus pretreated liquor and adding thereto a sorbitan ester ethylene oxide as a secondary emulsifier followed by emulsification. The less expensive and stable artificial lipid makes it possible to provide a nonviral carrier whereby a drug can be effectively delivered to an affected part without being captured by phagocytes in vivo. By using a cationic peptide lipid and adding a plasmid gene and a nucleic acid-binding protein thereto, the gene can be effectively immobilized to the lipid vesicles and applied to gene therapy.