Abstract
Pressure studies on the bilayer phase transitions of phosphatidylcholines with various acyl chains are reviewed. Temperature-pressure phase diagrams of lipid bilayer membranes are shown. In addition to liquid crystal, ripple gel, and lamellar gel phases; the presence of a pressure-induced gel phase, i. e., the interdigitated gel phase was found. The minimum pressure for the interdigitation of lipid bilayers decreased with an increase in acyl chain length in a non-linear manner. Thermodynamic quantities for the main transition were non linear with respect to the acyl chain length. The effect of an unsaturated acyl chain on the phase behavior was also described.
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