Abstract
Poloxamer 188 (P188), an amphiphilic triblock copolymer of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(propylene oxide)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) has been shown to effectively interact with injured plasma membrane and restore its function both in vitro and in vivo. Elucidation of the mesoscopic and molecular mechanism that mediates the interaction between this triblock copolymer and damaged membranes will help to improve the current approach in development of Poloxamers for therapeutic purposes. Previous work done by our group examined the interaction between P188 with phospholipid monolayers and demonstrated that P188 inserts selectively into damaged portions of the membrane and corrals surrounding lipids. Upon restoration of membrane integrity, the inserted polymer is squeezed out. Here, the effect of P188 on membrane permeability under osmotic stress was investigated by using giant unilamellar phospholipid vesicles, the simplest biomimic membrane which retains the essential curved bilayer structure. Results will be presented detailing how the osmotic gradients and P188 concentration affect P188 in corralling membrane lipids.
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