Ethanol Injection Method for Liposome Preparation

Abstract

Ethanol injection method is one of the preferred methods for liposome preparation due to its advantages including rapidity, safety, and reproducibility. This method involves the injection of phospholipid solution of ethanol into a stirred aqueous solution. Due to the diffusion of ethanol in aqueous solution, the dissolved phospholipids precipitate to form bilayer phospholipid fragments, which further fuse to form closed liposomal structures. After evaporation of ethanol, the liposomes can be finally obtained. In this chapter, we will describe the details of ethanol injection method for preparing liposomes and discuss issues that need to be considered during the fabrication process.