Interaction of Phospholipid, Cholesterol, Beta-Carotene, and Vitamin C Molecules in Liposome-Based Drug Delivery Systems: An In Silico Study

This paper investigates the interaction within a liposome-based drug delivery system in silico. Results confirmed that phospholipids, cholesterol, beta-carotene, and vitamin C in the liposome structures interact noncovalently. The formation of noncovalent interactions indicates that the liposomal structures from phospholipid molecules will not result in chemical changes to the drug or any molecules encapsulated within. Noncovalent interactions formed include (i) moderate-strength hydrogen bonds with interaction energies ranging from -73.6434 kJ center dot mol(-1) to -45.6734 kJ center dot mol(-1) and bond lengths ranging from 1.731 angstrom to 1.827 angstrom and (ii) van der Waals interactions (induced dipole-induced dipole and induced dipole-dipole interactions) with interaction energies ranging from -4.4735 kJ center dot mol(-1) to -1.5840 kJ center dot mol(-1) and bond lengths ranging from 3.192 angstrom to 3.742 angstrom. The studies for several phospholipids with short hydrocarbon chains show that changes in chain length have almost no effect on interaction energy, bond length, and partial atomic charge.