Liposomes

A liposome is an artificial vessel formed by a double layer of lipids. Because of their polar structure, these lipids are organised in such a way that their hydrophilic 'heads' are on the exterior and interior of the vesicle, while their hydrophobic 'tails' are attracted to one another to form the centre of the double layer. This mixed structure enables both hydrosoluble and liposoluble molecules to be transported. Increasingly, liposomes are developed in pharmaceutical research as drug vectors.