I have signed in to this forum because I would like to share with you my experiences of producing liposomal vitamin c.
When I learned about liposomal vitamin C and the possibility to produce it on your own, I started to study the many researches and patents available online to understand better the liposomes and the processes, and I came out with a method very like to the one discussed here. This was in 2010, and I have personally used it several times for seasonal disturbs, cold, flu and so.
I have used the heat method, heating serves to open the chain ordered phospholipids, carrying them in a disordered state (liquid crystals) and when cooling down, the vesicles are formed spontaneously while stirring.
One of the problems of liposomes is the rupture of the membrane, and the alcohol and the tocopherol help to stabilize and give more elasticity to the liposome.
I have divided the ingredients in two phases, where the first is the lecithin phase, which will be heated to a liquid state. At that point I add the second phase, which is the ascorbic acid dissolved in water, I do it in this way to protect the C vitamin from the heating process. I have used a a total quantityto of 200 ml, which is easy to divide in 20 portions of 1 g of C vitamin.
first phase: (milky, smooth)
20 g lecithin ( have used one available in Italy)
0,8 g tocopherol (dense liquid E vitamin)
16 g alcohol (ethanol 94°)
33 ml distilled water
second phase:
20 g ascorbic acid dissolved in 110 ml distilled water
Leave in a beaker glass the all the ingredients of the first phase to soak for 4-12 hours, becoming a milky mixture.
In another glass the C vitamin is dissolved in the water (room temperature) at the moment of use.
Heat the lecithin mixture to about 42-45° C (about 107-113° F) in a water bath, just above the point that the solution liquefies.
Take the glass out of the bath and add slowly the C vitamin solution while stirring delicately, the mixture is automatically cooled down, and once the solution starts to emulsify and gets thicker, then shake the glass faster in a rotatory way.
The preparation of the liposomes already occurs with cooling below 40 ° C, called the transition temperature, the point where the phospholipids pass from liquid crystal to gel and the liposomes are formed spontaneously.
When the solution has reached room temperature, it is a shiny and viscous gel.
I don't use the blender at all.
I leave it for a few hours in the fridge before I put it in the ultrasonic bath
The ultrasonic bath serves to to decrease the size of the vesicles, to make them smaller. I leave it in the ultrasonic bath (mine is 38kHz 100watt) for 20-30 min, in a water bath at room temperature.
I have done the tests with ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate, and both worked well.
The lecithin is the same quantity as the C vitamin, I have adjusted the proportion at 1:1 of the lecithin/C vitamin because it gives a smooth gel, but I think it depends of the type of lecithin used, when I tried 30 g of lecithin it became a very thick gel.
The alcohol is used as a plasticizer of the liposome-forming component and is an aid to prepare a uniform melt. It is also possible to use glycerol or a mix of the two, The alcohol has also a conservative action can be used at up to 10 % of the total wieght.
The E vitamin has a protective and anti-aggregate effect, the ideal proportion between tocopherol/lecithin are from 1:20 up to 1:33
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3813372/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9608397http://www.scientific.net/AMR.236-238.2207Another consideration I have done, is the importance of the cholesterol in the preparation of liposomes, as a stabilizing agent, because it gives an established membrane and makes it more resistant.
I learned that in stead of the cholesterol can be used other fatty acids, better if long-chain, and phytosterols. The most recommended is stearic acid, which is a long-chain fatty acid, the proportion between a fatty acid and lecithin varies from 33:1 to 2,5:1
I have tried to produce the liposomes with a food grade shea butter (rich in stearic acid (35-45%), and other acids, sterols and E vitamin) and also with a food grade coconut oil, which it is rich in lauric acid ( a middle chain fatty acid (44-52 %) and other acids). I added 1,30 g (15:1) in addition to the recipe above, both have worked well.
If someone wants to experience this procedure, or has suggestions to my thoughts of how or if adding a coconut oil or any other oil or butter, let me know your comments.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2002.tb08820.x/abstract;jsessionid=CF8244DF72E48F3DD73D25C751FFF8FD.f02t02http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2013/RA/c3ra23411h#!divAbstractThese are some of the references that have been helpful for me, taken from various texts:
-the liposomes can vary from clear to milky, depending of the composition and the particle size. If it has a bluish shiny shade, this means that the sample particles are homogeneous; a grayish mat shade indicates the presence of a non-liposomal dispersion and is more likely a reverse dispersion of the micro crystals.
-An aqueous type surface tension, a slight foam formation, and rapid increase of bubbles are characteristic of liposome solutions.
-If it flows away from the glass rapidly indicates the presence of a not-liposomical dispersion caused by the hydrophobic surface.
-The liposomal gel does not dissolve when added in a glass of water, but after some time it is compacted on the bottom of the glass.
-The Liposome size is important. The too small vesicles do not contain adequate levels of nutritious substance (such as Vitamin C), while the oversized vesicles are not absorbed properly by the membrane, so the nutritious substance is not transported through the intestinal mucosa. the optimum range is of 100-400 nanometers to balance the capacity of nutrition substances and absorption.
-Sonicated liposomes with a more heterogeneous size, generally showed a lower uptake in the liver and in the spleen and the highest level of absorption in the blood in comparative with liposomes less heterogeneous.
I want to share my experiences, I am not a scientist but just a curious person and I desire to discuss and improve it, I am still on the work and open for ideas and inspirations. My studies end where all yours end, with the impossibility to test it under a microscope to know the real quantity of encapsulation, but what is most important for me is that it works and does its job.