Prevention of leakage and phase separation during thermotropic phase transition in liposomes and biological cells

摘要

Leakage from liposomes or biological cells and structural damage, which occur upon cooling through the thermotropic phase transition temperature and upon storage at temperatures below the phase transition temperature are reduced or eliminated by incorporating thermal hysteresis proteins in the liposome or cell structure. Preferred thermal hysteresis proteins are antifreeze proteins and antifreeze glycoproteins from polar fish species, and chromatographic fraction no. 8 of antifreeze glycoproteins has been found to be particularly effective.