Spontaneous Vesicle Formation from a One-Component Solution of a Biological Surfactant

Spontaneous formation of unilamellar vesicles from a solution of a single surfactant in water at normal pH is reported. The surfactant is the ganglioside GM3, a glucosidic amphiphile of biological origin. The vesicle average diameter sharply changes from 530 Å to 490 Å across the chain melting transition temperature at about 30°C. No hysteresis effects are found and vesicles are extremely stable. The bilayer thickness is surprisingly small, indicating that hydrophobic chains are fully interdigitated.