Biological activity of SDS-CTAB cat-anionic vesicles in cultured cells and assessment of their cytotoxicity ending in apoptosis

SDS-CTAB cat-anionic vesicles are supramolecular aggregates forming complexes with biopolymers and enter the cells via membrane fusion or endocytosis. Different applicative areas exist: gene therapy, drug delivery and nanotechnology. We previously examined the absorption/release of biopolymers from vesicles in solution. Here we evaluate their cytotoxicity in cultured cells; to this end we characterized the vesicles and analyzed their biological effects at cellular and molecular level. At low concentration these vesicles have scarce consequences on normal cell growth; at higher dosage they activate apoptotic death processes, due to membrane damage. In conclusion, the use of these particles in nano-biotechnology represents an actual possibility.