33] Pyrenedecanoic acid and pyrene lecithin

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the synthesis and biophysical properties of pyrenedecanoic acid and pyrene lecithin. The excimer-forming lipids pyrenedecanoic acid and pyrene lecithin are used to investigate the dynamic properties and the structural organization of both artificial and biological membranes. Pyrenedecanoic acid and pyrene lecithin have been used to investigate lipid lateral diffusion and lipid exchange processes, as well as phase separation phenomena in artificial and natural membranes. The lipids to be studied and a given amount of excimer-forming probe were dissolved in chloroform and evaporated under a stream of nitrogen to yield a film on the wall of the glass vessel. The excimer formation technique is not restricted to the measurement of lateral mobility in membranes. It can also be used to determine the transverse mobility— that is, the lipid exchange between the lipid layers of one bilayer or between bilayers of different vesicles. It is found that because of the changes in fluidity and a modified solubility of the pyrene probes within different membrane regions, this method can also be applied to the investigation of phase separation phenomena and to lipid-protein interactions.