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a microscopic spherical particle formed by a lipid bilayer enclosing an aqueous compartment.
1. A spheric particle of lipid substance suspended in an aqueous medium within a tissue.
2. Any small, roughly spheric artificial vesicle consisting of a lipid bilayer enclosing some of the suspending medium.
[lipo- + G. sōma, body]
liposome/lipo·some/ (lip´o-sōm) a microscopic spherical particle formed by a lipid bilayer enclosing an aqueous compartment.
A microscopic artificial vesicle consisting of an aqueous core enclosed in phospholipid molecules, used to convey vaccines, drugs, or other substances to target tissues.
Etymology: Gk, lipos, fat, soma, body
a small, spheric particle consisting of a bilayer of phospholipid molecules surrounding an aqueous solution.
liposomeLipid vesicle Drug delivery A synthetic, uniform bilayer lipid membrane-bound vesicle formed by emulsification of cell membranes in dilute salt solutions, which is used to deliver toxic drugs–eg, amphotericin B, doxorubicin, pentavalent antimony–tagging them with an organ-specific antibody. See Liposome-encapsulated amphotericin B, Stealth liposome.
liposomean artificially constructed PHOSPHOLIPID VESICLE, which can be used in various biological experiments. Certain drugs may be incorporated into liposomes in order to administer them. In this way the drugs may be protected from degradation and may not exert general toxicity when introduced into the bloodstream.
Fat molecule made up of layers of lipids.
Mentioned in: Gene Therapy
a spherical structure, usually multilamelate, prepared from eukaryotic cell membranes which may be used as a carrier for glycoprotein antigens and drugs.