油體一詞來自於植物種子裡的一種儲存性胞器，以油為基質，表面上有單層磷脂質為屏障，並鑲有特殊蛋白。人造油體是由三酸甘油酯、磷脂質和油體鈣蛋白以人工的方式製成，能用來做為口服藥物運輸系統。油體鈣蛋白是獨特的鈣離子結合蛋白，利用其中間疏水域錨定於天然種子油體表面。油體鈣蛋白的性質，會因中央疏水域中雙性α-螺旋或脯氨酸結的子域改變而改變。
本實驗探討油體鈣蛋白及其修飾型態，做為乳劑乳化劑及微脂粒安定劑的潛能，也探討其他種類的磷脂質對人造油體安定性的影響。濁度試驗用來當作研究乳劑、微脂粒和人造油體安定性的工具。此外，粒徑及表面電位也被用來評估對微脂粒的影響。
研究結果發現油體鈣蛋白可用來當作油水型乳劑的乳化劑。而油體鈣蛋白較其他修飾油體鈣蛋白能製備出更加安定的乳劑。
油體鈣蛋白及修飾後油體鈣蛋白，Del-H，被發現能夠運用在製備微脂粒，從粒徑及表面電位分析中，發現他們能夠縮小微脂粒的粒徑，並增加其表面電荷。
三種不同的磷脂質，分別名為雙油酸磷脂醯膽鹼 ( DOPC ) 、雙硬脂酸磷脂醯膽鹼 ( DSPC ) 及雙棕梠酸磷脂醯膽鹼 ( DPPC ) ，被用來與油體鈣蛋白製備人造油體。使用DSPC與DPPC皆能製備出與使用DOPC安定性相當的人造油體。 Native seed oil bodies are lipid storage organelles and comprise an oil matrix shielded by a monolayer of phospholipid (PL) and specialized proteins. Artificial oil bodies (AOBs) can be reconstituted with oil, PL, and one of the proteins like caleosin. AOBs have been used as an oral drug delivery system.
Caleosin is a unique calcium binding protein anchoring to the surface of seed oil bodies by its central hydrophobic domain. Its property is changed when the amphiphatic α-helix or proline-knot subdomain in the hydrophobic domain of caleosin is truncated.
In this study, the potential of caleosin and its modified forms as an emulsifier of emulsions, as a stabilizer of liposomes and the effect of other kinds of PL on the stability of AOBs were studied. The turbidity test was used as a tool to evaluate the stability of emulsions, liposomes or AOBs. Besides, particle size and surface potential were also used to evaluate the stability of liposomes.
It was found that caleosin can be used an emulsifier to form oil in water emulsions. The emulsions made by caleosin were more stable than those made by modified caleosins.
Caleosin and Del-H were found tobe used in the preparation of liposomes. The analysis of particle size and surface potential shows that they can decrease the particle size and increase surface potential of liposomes.
Three kinds of PL, namely, dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine ( DOPC ), distearoyl phosphatidylcholine (DSPC), or distearoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) were used to prepare AOBs with caleosin. AOBs made from DSPC and DPPC were found as stable as those made from DOPC.
