Pharmaceutics (Feb 2024)

Liposome Encapsulation of the Palmitoyl–KTTKS Peptide: Structural and Functional Characterization

  • Alberto Vitali,
  • Patrizia Paolicelli,
  • Barbara Bigi,
  • Jordan Trilli,
  • Laura Di Muzio,
  • Vito Cosimo Carriero,
  • Maria Antonietta Casadei,
  • Stefania Petralito

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16020219
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 2
p. 219

Abstract

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In this study, the amphiphilic N-palmitoyl–KTTKS peptide was integrated in the bilayer of egg-derived phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles using two different preparation methods, namely thin-film evaporation (TLE) and reverse-phase evaporation (REV). Both the REV and TLE methods allowed for the formation of homogeneous liposome dispersions (PdI < 0.20) with mean hydrodynamic diameters of <100 nm and <200 nm, respectively, a net negative surface charge and a percentage of structured phospholipids higher than 90%. The inclusion of the amphiphilic N-palmitoyl–KTTKS peptide within phospholipid-based vesicles could improve peptide stability and skin delivery. Therefore, the obtained liposomes were evaluated via experiments assessing the synthesis of collagen and the ECM in 3T3-NIH fibroblasts. The obtained results showed that, when delivered with PC liposomes, pal-KTTKS stimulated collagen production more than free pentapeptide and 1 mM ascorbic acid, used as a positive control.

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