Naturally Occurring Polysaccharide Derivatives Which Behave as an Artificial Cell Wall on an Artificial Cell Liposome

In order to make a liposome more mechanically stable, the liposomal surface was coated with a naturally occurring polysaccharide which bears a hydrophobic anchor such as a cholesterol or palmitoyl residue. The effect of a hydrophobic anchor on the coating efficiency of the liposomal membrane was studied from the viewpoints of the permeability of a polysaccharide-coated liposome and the membrane fluidity. Through these investigations, it was found that coating of the liposomal surface with cholesterol derivatives of the polysaccharides was much better at decreasing the membrane permeability of a water-soluble fluorescent probe (6-carboxyfluorescein) than coating with O-palmitoylpolysaccharide.