| abstract |
The invention provides new synthetic routes for cardiolipin with different fatty acids and/or alkyl chains with varying chain length and also with or without unsaturation, particularly a short-chain cardiolipin. The methods comprise reacting a 1,2-O-sn-diacyl/1,2-O-sn-dialkyl glycerol or a 2-O-protected glycerol, with a phosphoramidite reagent or a phosphate triester to produce a protected cardiolipin, which is deprotected to prepare the short chain cardiolipin. The reaction schemes can be used to generate new variants of cardiolipin. The cardiolipin prepared by the present methods can be incorporated into liposomes, which can also include active agents such as hydrophobic or hydrophilic drugs. Such liposomes can be used to treat diseases or in diagnostic and/or analytical assays. Liposomes can also include ligands for targeting a particular cell type or specific tissue. |