Multifunctional Vehicle of Amphiphilic Calix[4]arene Mediated by Liposome

The fabrication of highly efficient nanovehicles represents one of the significant topics in biomedical and pharmaceutical fields. In this work, a perfect combination has been achieved between naturally occurring liposome and artificially macrocyclic receptor. Possessing long alkyl chains at lower rims, the amphiphilic p -sulfonatocalix[4]arenes (SC4As) can be readily embedded in the liposomal bilayers of zwitterionic phosphoglyceride, making the mixed liposomes a particularly appealing candidate for live cell imaging and targeted delivery. The obtained multifunctional vesicles possess several requisite characteristics for drug delivery purpose: (a) the negatively charged outer shell originating from SC4A that can lead to long-term colloidal stabilization in aqueous solution; (b) facile, nondestructive, noncovalent, and modular surface modification using specific host–guest interaction; (c) fluorescent imaging properties through the noncovalent linkage of fluorophores onto the lipid surface; and (d) surface decoration with biologically active ligands capable of specific targeting. Therefore, we believe that the unique structure and activity of self-assembled binary liposomes can be utilized to design smart multifunctional materials for wider application.