Lipidology

Liposomes started to be studied for drug delivery in 1970s, taking advantage of their ability to encapsulate hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs using biodegradable and biocompatible molecules. Nowadays, they remain one of the most promising strategies for drug delivery not only in cancer treatment but also in gene therapies and vaccines. The design and development of liposomal systems have evolved significantly over the past decades, moving from conventional formulations to advanced, stimulus-responsive, and multifunctional nanocarriers. Analogous to the myth of the Trojan Horse, liposomes must mislead the host immune system to reach the interior of cancer cells in order to deliver the therapeutic payload. There are many barriers that liposomes have to overcome to circulate through the bloodstream and specifically target cancer cells without damaging other tissues. Crucial parameters such as lipid composition, particle size, zeta potential, and PEGylation have been systematically optimized to enhance pharmacokinetics and biodistribution and to improve delivery efficiency. Furthermore, conjugation with antibodies, peptides, or small molecules has enabled active targeting, while stimuli such as pH, temperature, and enzymatic activity have been exploited for controlled drug release within the tumor microenvironment. Such innovations have laid the groundwork for translating liposomal formulations from the bench to clinical applications. In this paper, we evaluate the physicochemical features of liposomal design that underpin their suitability and efficacy for anticancer drug delivery. We aimed to focus on two main aspects: conducting an exhaustive review of the physicochemical parameters of liposomal drugs that have already been approved by regulatory agencies, while maintaining a pedagogical approach when explaining the key design parameters for the optimal design of liposomes in oncology in detail.

Milk fatty acid (FA) synthesis and enteric methanogenesis share common biochemical pathways related to rumen fermentation patterns and microbial volatile FA production. The FA profile of milk is known to correlate with methane (CH₄) emissions; thus, FA profiling has been proposed as an indirect method to predict CH₄ emissions from dairy cattle. This study aimed to (1) investigate the milk FA profiles of Holstein cows to identify candidate biomarkers for predicting CH₄ output (g/d), CH₄ yield (g/kg dry matter intake), and CH₄ intensity (g/kg energy-corrected milk), and (2) develop and compare regression models predicting CH₄ emissions. Forty-eight cows, fed industry standard diets, were enrolled in an exploratory trial. Milk samples and CH₄ measurements were collected thrice per day, and intake was recorded daily. Milk lipids were extracted, transesterified, and subsequently analyzed via gas–liquid chromatography. Three penalized regression models were compared for predicting CH₄ emission metrics using milk FAs and management variables. Methane emission metrics corelated positively with short- and medium-chain FAs, polyunsaturated FAs, and branched-chain FAs, while monounsaturated FAs correlated negatively. Notably, this study observed novel correlations between 11-cyclohexyl-11:0; and 20:3 c5,c8,c11 and CH₄ metrics (|r| = 0.58–0.79). Across all CH₄ metrics, the models demonstrated high predictive accuracy (R² = 0.71–0.87; concordance correlation coefficient = 0.83–0.93). The findings of this study indicate that milk FA profiling may be an effective method to detect CH₄ emissions from cows fed industry standard diets and highlight the need for further refinement of prediction models.

Background/objectives: Plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) are designed to mimic meat products and to be cooked under similar conditions by consumers. There have been few studies into the lipid stability of PBMAs, and no published studies have investigated the effect of cooking on the lipid stability of PBMAs. Methods: This study analysed the effect of recommended cooking conditions on the lipid oxidation of three commercial chicken schnitzel PBMAs with differing fatty acid composition. Fatty acids and lipid classes were analysed using gas chromatography (GC) and capillary chromatography (Iatroscan) with flame ionisation detectors, respectively. Lipid oxidation was analysed using multiple tests, including peroxide value (POV), p-Anisidine value, acid value, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) tests, which then allowed for the total oxidation (TOTOX) to be calculated. Results: Fatty acid analysis by GC showed different levels of saturated and unsaturated fatty acid contents in all PBMAs, with oleic acid (C18:1) being the most abundant (product A = 52%; product B = 62%; product C = 37%). Meanwhile, lipid class analyses by Iatroscan revealed that the oils used in the PBMAs were composed of triacylglycerol (TAG), which remained intact after cooking. Lipid oxidation tests showed no major increases between the raw and cooked PBMA. Also, the TOTOX values for each product did not increase significantly (p < 0.05) due to cooking (TOTOX values for raw/cooked product A = 9.36/9.99; product B = 5.88/6.19; product C = 11.31/11.92), suggesting a broad stability of the lipids. Conclusions: Therefore, if the on-package cooking instructions are followed for these three PBMA products, their lipid oxidation levels remain within safe limits.