Preparation of liposome using egg yolk

In this study, 162 students in the 6 year Pharmacy Program at the School of Pharmacy, Iwate Medical University were asked to prepare liposomal preparations using chicken egg yolk and to evaluate their properties with the aim of developing novel liposomes. High-purity lecithins are generally used for preparing liposomes but they are expensive. On the other hand, egg yolk has various components, including lecithin and cholesterol, which are important components for the formation of liposomes, so it was hypothesized that liposomes prepared from egg yolk may participate in the formation of cell membrane in chicks. Both liposomes from egg yolk (YL) and from lecithin (LL) exhibited Malthesian crosses using a polarizing microscope and multilamellar vesicles were observed, confirming that liposomal preparations from egg yolk were useful. The particle size of YL was about 100 nm with one peak. Furthermore, the YL are believed to be viable under different conditions because the particle size did not change when they were prepared in buffers having different pH values. The results of these experiments indicate that liposomal preparations from egg yolk can serve as natural materials, although some obstacles remain. This is a unique approach for carrying out practical training in our 6 year pharmaceutical science program.