Self-assembly and self-organization of acidic phospholipid molecules in an aqueous medium of NaCl as revealed by microcalorimetry and electronmicroscopy.

Abstract

Spherical multilamellar vesicles of dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol (DMPG) prepared in the presence of NaCl up to 1M at a temperature of liquid crystalline phase was found to exist in a metastable state at a gel phase temperature. On annealing at 5°C of the gel temperature, the metastable self-assemblies of DMPG converted finally into a stable state of crystalline cylindrical vesicular structure wrapped by 8-10 bilayer lamellae. The conversion process was discussed, focusing on the area occupied by negatively charged head group of DMPG molecules related to their packing modes.