Microfluidic synthesis of phosphatidylcholine liposomes for verbascoside delivery into C2C12 cells

The interest of lipid vesicles for applications in the pharmaceutical field is increasing, especially for preparing drug and gene delivery vectors. There are different methods for the preparation of these vesicles, however, microfluidic-based methods provide significant advantages over other synthetic protocols like extrusion and sonication. In this study, monodisperse liposomes based on L-α-phosphatidylcholine were synthesized using a versatile capillary hydrodynamic flow-focusing device to deliver verbascoside into murine C2C12 muscle cells. The size and surface charge of the obtained liposomes were studied using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and zeta-potential measurements. TEM and SAXS analyses were used to investigate the shape and lamellarity of the structures. By introducing a suitable dye into the phospholipid membrane of the liposomes and using confocal fluorescence microscopic analysis, liposomes internalization in C2C12 cells was confirmed in vitro. In addition, verbascoside encapsulation in the vesicles protected it efficiently, increasing its antioxidant activity against ROS production in C2C12 cells.