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. 2023 Apr 6:18:1853-1871.
doi: 10.2147/IJN.S404494. eCollection 2023.

Preparation, Characterization and ex vivo Skin Permeability Evaluation of Type I Collagen-Loaded Liposomes

Mingyuan Li  1 , Meng Li  1 , Xinyi Li  1 , Wanhui Shao  1 , Xiujuan Pei  2 , Ruyue Dong  1 , Hongmeng Ren  1 , Lin Jia  1 , Shiqin Li  1 , Wenlin Ma  1 , Yi Zeng  1 , Yun Liu  1 , Hua Sun  1 , Peng Yu  1
Affiliations

Preparation, Characterization and ex vivo Skin Permeability Evaluation of Type I Collagen-Loaded Liposomes

Mingyuan Li et al. Int J Nanomedicine. .

Abstract

Purpose: In the present study, we prepared collagen liposomes with the addition of polyol, which is expected to not only increase the solubility of collagen but also improve skin penetration.

Methods: Collagen liposomes were prepared by the film dispersion method, and their characteristics, integrity and biosafety were evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-VIS spectroscopy, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The transdermal absorption of collagen and collagen liposomes were tested by an ex vivo horizontal Valia-Chien diffusion cell system.

Results: We first demonstrated that collagen extracted from bovine Achilles tendon was type I collagen. The results of DLS measurement and TEM observation showed that the collagen liposomes were spherical in shape with average diameter (75.34±0.93 nm) and maintained high stability at low temperature (4°C) for at least 42 days without toxicity. The encapsulation rate of collagen liposomes was 57.80 ± 0.51%, and SDS-PAGE analysis showed that collagen was intact in liposomes. Finally, permeability studies indicated that the collagen-loaded liposomes more easily penetrated the skin compared to collagen itself.

Conclusion: This study proposed a new method to improve the bioavailability and permeability of bovine type I collagen, which improves the applicability of collagen in biomedicine, cosmeceuticals and pharmaceutical industries.

Keywords: collagen; drug delivery; liposome; physicochemical properties of collagen; skin penetration.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this paper.

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Figure 1
Figure 1
Physicochemical properties of collagen. (a) Solubility of collagen at different pH; (b) UV-VIS spectra of collagen; (c) infrared spectrum of collagen.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Characterization of liposomes. (a) Appearance of collagen liposomes; (b) size distribution of blank liposomes; (c) size distribution of collagen liposomes; (d) protein standard curve with bovine serum albumin (BSA) as standard.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of blank liposomes (a and b) and collagen liposomes (c and d).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Size distribution of collagen liposomes stored at 25°C and 4°C for 56 days.
Figure 5
Figure 5
SDS-PAGE electrophoresis of collagen and its liposomes (M-protein Marker; 1- Blank liposomes with unbroken membranes; 2-membrane-breaking blank liposomes; 3- ultrapure water + Triton X-100; 4, 5- membrane-breaking collagen liposomes; 6- collagen liposomes without broken membranes; 7-collagen solution).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Effect of collagen liposomes on the viability of BV2 cells.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Cumulative transmission curves of collagen and its liposomes at different temperature; (a) tonguefishes skin; (b) nude mouse skin; (c) normal skin of BALB/c mice; (d) injury skin of BALB/c mouse.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Skin absorption curves of collagen and its liposomes at different temperature; (a) tonguefishes skin; (b) nude mouse skin; (c) normal skin of BALB/c mice; (d) injury skin of BALB/c mouse.
Figure 9
Figure 9
FM image of a cross section of BALB/c normal mouse skin cultured on a V-C diffusion tank containing fluorescein collagen and liposomes (scale bar is 200 μm).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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