Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Investigation Of Phospholipid Tubule Morphology For Use In Drug Delivery, Colleen Colson Garrett

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Spherical vesicles consisting of phosphatidylcholines in which diacetylene groups have been inserted in the hydrocarbon tail centers give rise to hollow cylindrical tubes, known as “tubules”. The study of tubules has become an area of intense interest in recent years due to their unusual morphology, which raises several profound theoretical issues and suggests their use in a variety of applications. Tubule hollowness suggests medical and industrial encapsulations as well as filtration and purification applications. These potential uses, e.g., for drug and gene delivery, requires optimization of their morphology for the application. Tubules have many technologically desirable properties, such as a …