Characteristics of PEGylated Polydiacetylene Liposome and its Inclusion Complex Formation with α-Cyclodextrin

Diacetylene lipid monomers possess the capability to self-assemble into vesicles via polymerization under ultraviolet irradiation, resulting in the formation of polydiacetylene (PDA) liposomes. Exposure of the poly-merized vesicles to external stimuli is known to induce a unique blue-to-red color transition. The cyclic oligosaccharide α-cyclodextrin known for its use in many applications, such as drug delivery, purification, and stimulus sensing, is able to form an inclusion complex with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in aqueous solution. In this study, we prepared polymeric liposomes with PEG (PEG-PDA) with the aim of improving the stability of the vesicles and colorimetric response toward α-cyclodextrin. We demonstrated that PEG-PDA liposome displays unique characteristics compared with native PDA liposome and it also shows apparent chromic properties of the inclusion complex formation with α-cyclodextrin