Liposomes as drug delivery system in mitochondrial targeting

Abstract

The mitochondrion is a subcellular organelle with major functions related to energy production and control of apoptosis. The presence of mitochondria as a subcellular organelle has been known for more than one and a half century. However, only the last decades’ research has discovered their role in ageing and disease pathology, which have led to increasing interest in mitochondria as target for drug delivery. For a long time the mitochondria were thought to be static organelles, however, it was then discovered that they continuously fused together forming tubular networks followed by fission back into single organelles. The aim of the work was to evaluate whether liposomes could be recognized as artificial mitochondria and thereby be included in the fusion-fission cycle. Liposomes were prepared with different lipid compositions mimicking the composition of the outer mitochondrial membrane. A lipophilic fluorescent dye was incorporated in liposomes to evaluate their ability to fuse with isolated mitochondria. Based on the fusion experiments, it was confirmed that the level of fusion was altered in respect to the different lipid compositions.