How Fast Liposomes Diffuse in the Extracellular Matrix

Single-particle tracking is used to compare the diffusivity of soft spheres (liposomes) with that of hard spheres of the same size, when they are embedded within gels whose mesh size is smaller than the particle size. The comparison is made in model systems and also in cell extracts of closer biological relevance. In both environments, the diffusivity of liposomes is systematically faster than that of hard spheres.