Transport of a cell-sized phospholipid micro-container across water/oil interface

When a cell-sized water droplet, with a diameter of several tens of μm, is placed in oil containing phospholipids, a phospholipid monolayer is formed spontaneously on the droplet surface to produce a stable cell-sized micro-container. We report on the transportation of such 'vesicle' between an oil and a water phases across a lipid monolayer at the bulk water/oil interface by micromanipulation technique. The 'vesicle' can be returned onto the oil phase, and the transportation can be performed back and forth between the two-phases repeatedly. Such a vesicle-like, easily manipulable micro-container may afford a simple model of living intra-cellular environments.

Graphical abstractWe report the transportation of a lipid vesicle from an oil phase to a water phase across the interface by micromanipulation, where the lipid monolayer at the bulk water/oil interface is transferred onto the vesicle surface. The vesicle can be transported back and forth between the phases. Bar: 50 μm.Download full-size image