SYNTHESIS, FORMULATION AND PHYSICO-CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF VITAMIN E DERIVATES

Work package:
The aqueous dispersions of lyotropic liquid crystals (LLC), and in particular bicontinuous cubic and reverse hexagonal mesophases (called cubosomes and hexosomes), are appealing in the field of drug delivery [1]. Indeed, the large lipophilic area and the high specific surface area of the internal mesophase enable these structures to incorporate both hydrophobic and hydrophilic species. An explored possibility to induce a phase change or to modulate the phase structural parameters is to use temperature directly [2], indirectly by alternating magnetic fields [3], by using mixed lipid membranes and pH [4]. It can also be envisaged to introduce small changes in surfactant structure to modulate the resulting phase and understand the structure- phase relationship. Two molecules are usually used to form LCC structures: GMO (glyceryl monooleate) and phytantriol. We are developing a new family of biosourced molecules based on Vitamin E (-tocopherol) which are able to self- assemble into cubosome/hexosome nanostructures. The aim of the project is to synthesize new Vitamin E derivates, to formulate them and to realize the full physico- chemical characterization of their LLC aqueous dispersions. This project will develop skills in organic synthesis and physico-chemical characterization (Small Angle X-ray Scattering, SAXS, Dynamic Light Scattering, DLS, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, DSC, optical microscopy). This master 2 fellowship is financed by an ANR funding and it will be followed by a PhD grant.