Effect of free cholesterol on the inflammatory response induced by POPC liposomes

Lipid nanoparticles (LNP) have gained increased interest for their use as carriers of therapeutic drugs and vaccines. The main phospholipid within LNP is phosphatidylcholine, which has been considered an inert component. However, we have shown that liposomes made of palmitoyl oleoyl phosphatidylcholine (POPC) induced a massive alteration of gene expression within macrophages (M), particularly genes involved in the inflammatory response. Since cholesterol plays a crucial role in cellular functions and is a regular component of LNP, we investigated the effect of the sterol on the inflammatory response induced by POPC liposomes. We attempt to investigate whether the presence of free cholesterol within liposomes affects the inflammatory response induced by the phospholipid.