Abstract
Lipid vesicles, especially giant lipid vesicles (GLVs), are usually adopted as cell membrane models and their preparation has been widely studied. However, the effects of some nonelectrolytes on GLV formation have not been specifically studied so far. In this paper, the effects of the nonelectrolytes, including sucrose, glucose, sorbitol and ethanol, and their coexistence with sodium chloride, on the lipid hydration and GLV formation were investigated. With the hydration method, it was found that the sucrose, glucose and sorbitol showed almost the same effect. Their presence in the medium enhanced the hydrodynamic force on the lipid membranes, promoting the GLV formation. GLV formation was also promoted by the presence of ethanol with ethanol volume fraction in the range of 0 to 20 percent, but higher ethanol content resulted in failure of GLV formation. However, the participation of sodium chloride in sugar solution and ethanol solution stabilized the lipid membranes, suppressing the GLV formation. In addition, the ethanol and the sodium chloride showed the completely opposite effects on lipid hydration. These results could provide some suggestions for the efficient preparation of GLVs.
Highlights
Plasma membranes form dynamic and flexible barriers to separate cells from environments, defending the cells against intrusive extracellular molecules [1,2]
In 2017, in order to figure out how the presence of salt suppressed giant lipid vesicles (GLVs) formation, we designed and fabricated a miniaturized chip, and based on the miniaturized chip we investigated the effect of sodium chloride on the processes and results of lipid hydration [14]
We found that the presence of sodium chloride suppressed GLV formation mainly because the swelling and detachment of the lipid membranes were suppressed under a stronger hydrophobic repulsion
Summary
Plasma membranes form dynamic and flexible barriers to separate cells from environments, defending the cells against intrusive extracellular molecules [1,2]. Many artificial membranes with precisely controlled composition, especially the lipid vesicles, can be used as models of plasma membranes [3,4]. Saha et al developed a new selective Cl− ion carrier (bis(iminourea)) and investigated its functions on the large lipid vesicles, providing a valuable tool in investigating the role of ion transport in these diseases [5]. Jenkins et al established a model of immune cell by utilizing giant lipid vesicle (GLV) embedded with some membrane proteins. They explored the interactions of T cells and mast cells with the membrane model [6]
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