Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine Bilayer Membranes Research Articles

Temperature- and Pressure-Induced Bilayer Phase Transitions of an Amide-Linked Phosphatidylcholine: A Contrasting Effect of Chain-Linkage Type

Abstract An unnatural phospholipid with two amide linkages, dipalmitoylamidodeoxyphosphatidylcholine (DPADPC), was synthesized and its bilayer phase transitions were observed by differential scanning calorimetry under atmospheric pressure and light-transmittance measurements under high pressure. The DPADPC bilayer membrane showed different phase transitions depending on the thermal history of the lipid sample under atmospheric pressure. The thermal-history dependent transitions were also observed under high pressure. The temperature–pressure phase diagram and thermodynamic quantities of the phase transitions of the DPADPC bilayer membrane were compared with those of bilayer membranes of hydrophobic chain-linkage isomers, ester-linked dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and ether-linked dihexadecylphosphatidylcholine (DHPC). The thermodynamic quantities of the main transition for these PC bilayer membranes were similar to one another, whereas the suppression of the interdigitation and great stabilization of the hydrated crystal phase were observed for the DPADPC bilayer membrane. Furthermore, the results of nuclear magnetic resonance measurements indicated that the motility of PC molecules in both gel and liquid crystal phases of the DPADPC bilayer membranes were much lower than those of the DPPC and DHPC bilayer membranes. From the above results, we concluded that the molecular interaction in the PC bilayer membranes increases in the order of ether-, ester- and amide-linkage isomers.

Sampling efficiency of the counting method for permeability calculations estimated with the inhomogeneous solubility-diffusion model.

Permeability is a key property in various fields such as membrane technology for chemical separation and transport of substances through cell membranes. At the molecular scale, the counting method uses the number of membrane crossings in a conventional unbiased molecular dynamics simulation to predict the permeability. This contribution investigates under which conditions the counting method has insufficient statistics. An equation is derived for a compartmental model based on the inhomogeneous solubility-diffusion (Smoluchowski) model, giving insight into how the flux correlates with the solubility of permeants. This equation shows that a membrane crossing is a rare event not only when the membrane forms a large free energy barrier but also when the membrane forms a deep free energy well that traps permeants. Such a permeant trap has a high permeability; yet, the counting method suffers from poor statistics. To illustrate this, coarse-grained MD was run for 16 systems of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes with different permeant types. The composition rule for permeability is shown to also hold for fluxes, and it is highlighted that the considered thickness of the membrane causes uncertainty in the permeability calculation of highly permeable membranes. In conclusion, a high permeability in itself is not an effective indicator of the sampling efficiency of the counting method, and caution should be taken for permeants whose solubility varies greatly over the simulation box. A practical consequence relevant in, e.g., drug design is that a drug with high membrane permeability might get trapped by membranes thus reducing its efficacy.

Structural Changes of Sarco/Endoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+-ATPase Induced by Rutin Arachidonate: A Molecular Dynamics Study.

Sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) maintains the level of calcium concentration in cells by pumping calcium ions from the cytoplasm to the lumen while undergoing substantial conformational changes, which can be stabilized or prevented by various compounds. Here we attempted to clarify the molecular mechanism of action of new inhibitor rutin arachidonate, one of the series of the acylated rutin derivatives. We performed molecular dynamics simulations of SERCA1a protein bound to rutin arachidonate positioned in a pure dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membrane. Our study predicted the molecular basis for the binding of rutin arachidonate towards SERCA1a in the vicinity of the binding site of calcium ions and near the location of the well-known inhibitor thapsigargin. The stable hydrogen bond between Glu771 and rutin arachidonate plays a key role in the binding. SERCA1a is kept in the E2 conformation preventing the formation of important salt bridges between the side chains of several residues, primarily Glu90 and Lys297. All in all, the structural changes induced by the binding of rutin arachidonate to SERCA1a may shift proton balance near the titrable residues Glu771 and Glu309 into neutral species, hence preventing the binding of calcium ions to the transmembrane binding sites and thus affecting calcium homeostasis. Our results could lead towards the design of new types of inhibitors, potential drug candidates for cancer treatment, which could be anchored to the transmembrane region of SERCA1a by a lipophilic fatty acid group.

Salt effect on bilayer phase transitions of dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol in saline water under high pressure

ABSTRACTThe phase transitions of dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol (DPPG) bilayer membrane at high NaCl concentrations under high pressure were investigated to construct the temperature–pressure phase diagram and to determine phase-transition properties. The constructed phase diagrams exhibited qualitative resemblance to that of the dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayer membrane: they showed the gel-phase polymorphism including the pressure-induced bilayer interdigitation. The phase-transition properties of the DPPG bilayer membrane changed in a salt concentration-dependent manner. We discussed the salt effect on the DPPG bilayer membrane from the variation in interactions between the polar head groups of the PG molecules.

Ligand partitioning into lipid bilayer membranes under high pressure: Implication of variation in phase-transition temperatures

The variation in phase-transition temperatures of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayer membrane by adding two membrane-active ligands, a long-chain fatty acid (palmitic acid (PA)) and an inhalation anesthetic (halothane (HAL)), was investigated by light-transmittance measurements and fluorometry. By assuming the thermodynamic colligative property for the bilayer membrane at low ligand concentrations, the partitioning behavior of these ligands into the DPPC bilayer membrane was considered. It was proved from the differential partition coefficients between two phases that PA has strong affinity with the gel (lamellar gel) phase in a micro-molal concentration range and makes the bilayer membrane more ordered, while HAL has strong affinity with the liquid crystalline phase in a milli-molal concentration range and does the bilayer membrane more disordered. The transfer volumes of both ligands from the aqueous solution to each phase of the DPPC bilayer membrane showed that the preferential partitioning of the PA molecule into the gel (lamellar gel) produces about 20% decrease in transfer volume as compared with the liquid crystalline phase, whereas that of the HAL molecule into the liquid crystalline phase does about twice increase in transfer volume as compared with the gel (ripple gel) phase. Furthermore, changes in thermotropic and barotropic phase behavior of the DPPC bilayer membrane by adding the ligand was discussed from the viewpoint of the ligand partitioning. Reflecting the contrastive partitioning of PA and HAL into the pressure-induced interdigitated gel phase among the gel phases, it was revealed that PA suppresses the formation of the interdigitated gel phase under high pressure while HAL promotes it. These results clearly indicate that each phase of the DPPC bilayer membrane has a potential to recognize various ligand molecules.

A comparative differential scanning calorimetry study of the effects of cholesterol and various oxysterols on the thermotropic phase behavior of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes

We have carried out a comparative differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) study of the effects of cholesterol (C) and the eight most physiologically relevant oxysterols on the thermotropic phase behavior of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayer membranes. The structures of these oxysterols differ from that of C by the presence of additional hydroxyl, keto or epoxy groups on the steroid ring system or by the presence of a hydroxyl group in the alkyl side chain. In general, the progressive incorporation of these oxysterols reduces the temperature, cooperativity and enthalpy of the pretransition of DPPC to a greater extent than C, indicating that their presence thermally destabilizes and disorders the gel states of DPPC bilayers to a greater extent than C. Similarly, the incorporation of these oxysterols either increases the temperature of the broad component of the main phase transition to a smaller extent than C or actually decreases it. Again, this indicates that the presence of these compounds is less effective at thermally stabilizing and ordering the sterol-rich domains of DPPC bilayers than is C itself. Moreover, the incorporation of these oxysterols decrease the cooperativity and enthalpy of the main phase transition of DPPC to a smaller extent than C, indicating that they are somewhat less miscible in fluid DPPC bilayers than is C. Particularly notable in this regard is 25-hydroxycholesterol, which exhibits a markedly reduced miscibility in both gel and fluid DPPC bilayers compared to C itself. In general, the effectiveness of these oxysterols in stabilizing and ordering DPPC bilayers decreases as their rate of interbilayer exchange and the polarity of the oxysterol increases. We close by providing a tentative molecular explanation for the results of our DSC studies and of those of previous biophysical studies of the effects of various oxysterol on lipid bilayer model membranes.

A calorimetric and spectroscopic comparison of the effects of cholesterol and its sulfur-containing analogs thiocholesterol and cholesterol sulfate on the thermotropic phase behavior and organization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes

We performed differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic studies of the effects of cholesterol (Chol), thiocholesterol (tChol) and cholesterol sulfate (CholS) on the thermotropic phase behavior and organization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayer membranes. Our DSC results indicate that Chol and tChol incorporation produce small temperature increases in the main phase transition broad component while CholS markedly decreases it, but Chol decreases cooperativity and enthalpy more strongly than CholS and especially tChol. Hence, Chol and tChol thermally stabilize fluid DPPC bilayer sterol-rich domains while CholS markedly destabilizes them, and CholS and particularly tChol are less miscible in such domains. Our FTIR spectroscopic results indicate that Chol incorporation increases the rotational conformational order of fluid DPPC bilayers to a slightly and somewhat greater degree than tChol and CholS, respectively, consistent with our DSC findings. Also, Chol and CholS produce comparable degrees of H-bonding (hydration) of the DPPC ester carbonyls in fluid bilayers, whereas tChol increases H-bonding. At low temperatures, Chol is fully soluble in gel-state DPPC bilayers, whereas tChol and CholS are not. Thus tChol and CholS incorporation can produce considerably different effects on DPPC bilayers. In particular, the tChol thiol group markedly reduces its lateral miscibility and increases DPPC carbonyl H-bonding without significantly affecting the other characteristic effects of Chol itself, while the CholS sulfate group significantly reduces its ability to thermally stabilize and order fluid DPPC membranes. This latter result suggests that the molecular basis for the purported ability of CholS to “stabilize” various biological membranes should be re-examined.

A calorimetric and spectroscopic comparison of the effects of cholesterol and its immediate biosynthetic precursors 7-dehydrocholesterol and desmosterol on the thermotropic phase behavior and organization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes

We performed differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic studies of the effects of cholesterol (CHOL), 7-dehydrocholeterol (7DHC) and desmosterol (DES) on the thermotropic phase behavior and organization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayer membranes. 7DHC and DES are the immediate biosynthetic precursors of CHOL in the Kandutch–Russell and Bloch pathways and 7DHC and DES differ in structure from CHOL only by the presence of an additional double bond at C7 of ring B or C24 of the alkyl side chain, respectively. Our DSC results indicate that the incorporation of all three sterols produces comparable decreases in the temperature of the pretransition of DPPC, but CHOL decreases its cooperativity and enthalpy more strongly than 7DHC and especially DES. These findings indicate that all three sterols decrease the thermal stability of gel phase DPPC bilayers but that 7DHC and especially DES are less miscible in them. However, the incorporation of CHOL and DES produce comparable increases in the temperature of the broad component of the main phase transition of DPPC while 7DHC decreases it, but again CHOL produces greater decreases in its cooperativity and enthalpy then 7DHC and especially DES. These results indicate that CHOL and DES stabilize the sterol-rich domains of fluid DPPC bilayers, but that 7DHC and especially DES are less miscible in them. Our FTIR spectroscopic results indicate that CHOL increases the rotational conformational order of fluid DPPC bilayers to a somewhat and markedly greater degree than DES and 7DHC, respectively, consistent with our DSC findings. Our spectroscopic results also indicate that although all three sterols produce comparable degrees of H-bonding (hydration) of the DPPC ester carbonyl groups in fluid bilayers, CHOL is again found to be fully soluble in gel state DPPC bilayers at low temperatures, whereas 7DHC and especially DES are not. In general, we find that 7DHC and DES incorporation produce considerably different effects on DPPC bilayer membranes. In particular, the presence of an additional double bond at C7 or C24 produces a marked reduction in the ability of 7DHC to order fluid DPPC bilayers and in the miscibility of DES in such bilayers, respectively. These different effects may be the biophysical basis for the reduction of these double bonds in the last steps of CHOL biosynthesis, and for the deleterious biological effects of the accumulation of these sterols in vivo.

A comparative calorimetric and spectroscopic study of the effects of cholesterol and of the plant sterols β-sitosterol and stigmasterol on the thermotropic phase behavior and organization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes

We performed comparative DSC and FTIR spectroscopic measurements of the effects of β-sitosterol (Sito) and stigmasterol (Stig) on the thermotropic phase behavior and organization of DPPC bilayers. Sito and Stig are the major sterols in the biological membranes of higher plants, whereas cholesterol (Chol) is the major sterol in mammalian membranes. Sito differs in structure from Chol in having an ethyl group at C24 of the alkyl side-chain, and Stig in having both the C24 ethyl group and trans-double bond at C22. Our DSC studies indicate that the progressive incorporation of Sito and Stig decrease the temperature and cooperativity of the pretransition of DPPC to a slightly lesser and greater extent than Chol, respectively, but the pretransition persists to 10mol % sterol concentration in all cases. All three sterols produce essentially identical effects on the thermodynamic parameters of the sharp component of the DPPC main phase transition. However, the ability to increase the temperature and decrease the cooperativity and enthalpy of the broad component decreases in the order Chol>Sito>Stig. Nevertheless, at higher Sito/Stig concentrations, there is no evidence of sterol crystallites. Our FTIR spectroscopic studies demonstrate that Sito and especially Stig incorporation produces a smaller ordering of the hydrocarbon chains of fluid DPPC bilayers than does Chol. In general, the presence of a C24 ethyl group in the alkyl side-chain reduces the characteristic effects of Chol on the thermotropic phase behavior and organization of DPPC bilayer membranes, and a trans-double bond at C22 magnifies this effect.

Characterization and cytotoxicity studies of DPPC:M2+ novel delivery system for cisplatin thermosensitivity liposome with improving loading efficiency

A novel, metal ion-assisted drug-loading model, in which the metal ion was used to modify the microstructure of DPPC bilayers, has been developed to improve the drug-loading efficiency of cisplatin thermosensitivity liposomes. The reactions of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) with diverse metal ions (Zn2+, Cu2+, Mn2+ and Mg2+) yield four typical liposomes, which have been characterized by FT-IR, Raman and fluorescence techniques; the mechanism for higher drug encapsulation efficiency has also been investigated. In these prepared liposomes, the conformation of DPPC is changed due to the electrostatic interaction between the metal ions and phospholipid acyl group, leading to a closer arrangement of the lipid hydrocarbon chains and higher Tm of DPPC. As a result, the encapsulation efficiency of metal ion-assisted loading liposome is significantly higher than that of metal ion-free state. While for the release time, all four metal ion-assisted liposomes could be released within 10min at 42±0.5°C, which approach to the phase transition temperature, indicating that the introduction of metal ions into the DPPC bilayer membranes has no influence on the thermosensitivity of the liposome. Furthermore, the higher cytotoxicity of metal ion-bounded liposomes than that of free cisplatin solution suggests that high encapsulation efficiency can cause cytotoxicity increase. Hence, this work highlighted that metal ion-assisted loading model increased the encapsulation efficiency and cell cytotoxicity of cisplatin in thermosensitive liposomes with no obvious effects on sustained and temperature-dependent drug release.

A DSC and FTIR spectroscopic study of the effects of the epimeric coprostan-3-ols and coprostan-3-one on the thermotropic phase behaviour and organization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes: Comparison with their 5-cholesten analogues

We present the results of a comparative differential calorimetric and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic study of the effect of cholesterol and five analogues on the thermotropic phase behaviour and organization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes. These sterols/steroids differ in both the nature and stereochemistry of the polar head group at C3 (β-OH, α-OH or CO) and in the presence or absence of a double bond in ring B and in the orientation of rings A and B. The Δ5 sterols/steroid have a trans rather than a cis ring A/B junction, and the concentration of these compounds required to abolish the DPPC pretransition, inversely related to their relative ability to disorder gel state DPPC bilayers, decreases in the order β-OH>α-OH>CO. However, in the saturated ring junction-inverted (cis) series, these concentrations are much more similar, regardless of polar head group chemical structure. Similarly, the residual enthalpy of the DPPC main phase transition at 50mol% sterol/steroid, which is inversely related to the miscibility of these compounds in fluid DPPC bilayers, also increases in the order β-OH>α-OH>CO, but this effect is attenuated in the saturated series with an inverted ring A/B orientation. Moreover, replacement of the double bond at C5–C6 with a saturated linkage and inversion of the ring A/B junction reduces both sterol/steroid solubility and the ability to order the hydrocarbon chains of fluid DPPC molecules all cases. Thus, the characteristic effects of sterols/steroids on fluid lipid bilayers are generally optimal when an OH group rather than CO group is present at C3, and when this OH group is in the equatorial (β) orientation, and when the orientation of the ring A/B fusion is trans rather than cis. Overall, these results demonstrate that variations in the saturation and stereochemistry of the steroid ring system influence the effect of variations in the nature and stereochemistry of the polar headgroup at C3 on the physical properties of phospholipid bilayers and vice versa. Moreover, the presence of a single double bond specifically at Δ5 is required to maximize sterol solubility in fluid DPPC bilayers.

A DSC and FTIR spectroscopic study of the effects of the epimeric cholestan-3-ols and cholestan-3-one on the thermotropic phase behavior and organization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes: Comparison with their 5-cholesten analogs

We present the results of a comparative differential calorimetric and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic study of the effect of cholesterol and five analogs on the thermotropic phase behavior and organization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes. These sterols/steroids differ in both the nature and stereochemistry of the polar head group at C3 (β-OH, α-OH or CO) and in the presence or absence of a double bond in ring B. In both the Δ5 and saturated sterols/steroid series, the concentration of these compounds required to abolish the DPPC pretransition, inversely related to their relative ability to disorder gel state DPPC bilayers, decreases in the order β-OH>α-OH>CO. However, in the saturated series, these concentrations are much more similar, regardless of polar head group chemical structure. Similarly, the residual enthalpy of the DPPC main phase transition at 50mol% sterol/steroid, inversely related to the miscibility of these compounds in fluid DPPC bilayers, also increases in the order β-OH>α-OH>CO, but this effect is again attenuated in the saturated series. Moreover, replacement of the double bond at C5 with a saturated linkage also reduces sterol/steroid solubility in all cases. Interestingly, the C5 double bond has no effect on DPPC hydrocarbon chain ordering in the βOH sterol pair, considerably increases ordering in the αOH pair, and considerably reduces ordering in the CO pair. Moreover, the ability of these compounds to order the DPPC hydrocarbon chains decreases in the order β-OH>α-OH>CO in the Δ5 series of compounds, but in the order β-OH>CO>α-OH in the saturated series. Our results indicate that the effects of the presence or absence of a double bond at C5 of ring B on the thermotropic phase behavior and organization of DPPC bilayers are influenced by the nature and stereochemistry of the polar group present at C3 and vice versa. Nevertheless, the characteristic effects of sterols/steroids on fluid lipid bilayers are optimal when an OH group rather than CO group is present at C3, and when this OH group is in the equatorial (β) orientation. Moreover, the presence of a single double bond specifically at C5 is required to maximize sterol solubility in fluid DPPC bilayers, which is probably its primary function in natural sterols.

A DSC and FTIR spectroscopic study of the effects of the epimeric 4,6-cholestadien-3-ols and 4,6-cholestadien-3-one on the thermotropic phase behaviour and organization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes

We present the results of a comparative differential calorimetric and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic study of the effect of cholesterol and five analogues on the thermotropic phase behaviour and organization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes. These sterols/steroids differ in both the nature and stereochemistry of the polar head group at C3 (βOH, αOH or CO) and in the position(s) of the double bond(s). In the Δ5 sterols/steroid series, the concentration of these compounds required to abolish the DPPC pretransition, inversely related to their relative ability to disorder gel state DPPC bilayers, decreases markedly in the order βOH>αOH>CO. However, in the Δ4,6 series, these concentrations are similar, regardless of polar head group chemical structure. Similarly, the residual enthalpy of the DPPC main phase transition at 50mol% sterol/steroid, which is inversely related to the miscibility of these compounds in the DPPC bilayer, also increases in the order βOH>αOH>CO, but this effect is attenuated in the Δ4,6 series. In the two pairs of sterol epimers, the Δ4,6 compounds exhibit a greater decrease in the temperature and enthalpy of both the pretransition and the main phase transition, whereas the opposite result is observed in the ketosteroid pair. Similarly, the ability of these compounds to order the DPPC hydrocarbon chains decreases in the order βOH>αOH>CO in both series of compounds, but in the two pairs of sterol epimers, hydrocarbon chain ordering is greater for the Δ5 than the Δ4,6 sterols, whereas the opposite is the case for the steroid pair. Thus, the characteristic effects of sterols/steroids on fluid lipid bilayers are optimal when an OH group rather than CO group is present at C3, and when this OH group is in the equatorial orientation. We suggest that the presence of keto–enol tautomerism in the conjugated Δ4,6 ketosteroid may provide additional H-bonding opportunities to adjacent DPPC molecules in the bilayer, which results in more cholesterol-like effects.

A comparative calorimetric study of the effects of cholesterol and the plant sterols campesterol and brassicasterol on the thermotropic phase behavior of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes

We present a comparative differential scanning calorimetric study of the effects of the animal sterol cholesterol (Chol) and the plant sterols campesterol (Camp) and brassicasterol (Bras) on the thermotropic phase behavior of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayers. Camp and Bras differ from Chol in having a C24 methyl group and, additionally for Bras, a C22 trans-double bond. Camp and especially Bras decrease the temperature, cooperativity and enthalpy of the DPPC pretransition more than Chol, although these effects are attenuated at higher sterol levels. This indicates that they destabilize gel-state DPPC bilayers to a greater extent, but are less soluble, than Chol. Not surprisingly, all three sterols have similar effects on the sterol-poor sharp component of the DPPC main phase transition. However, Camp and especially Bras less effectively increase the temperature and decrease the cooperativity and enthalpy of the broad component of the main transition than Chol. This indicates that at higher sterol concentrations, Camp and Bras are less miscible and less effective than Chol at ordering the hydrocarbon chains of the sterol-enriched fluid DPPC bilayers. Overall, these alkyl side chain modifications generally reduce the ability of Chol to produce its characteristic effects on DPPC bilayer physical properties. These differences are likely due to the less extended and more bent conformations of the alkyl side chains of Camp and Bras, producing sterols with a greater effective cross-sectional area and reduced length than Chol. Hence, the structure of Chol is likely optimized for maximum solubility in, as opposed to maximum ordering of, phospholipid bilayers.

A DSC and FTIR spectroscopic study of the effects of the epimeric 4-cholesten-3-ols and 4-cholesten-3-one on the thermotropic phase behaviour and organization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes: Comparison with their 5-cholesten analogues

We present the results of a comparative differential calorimetric and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic study of the effect of cholesterol and five of its analogues on the thermotropic phase behaviour and organization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes. These sterols/steroids differ in both the nature and stereochemistry of the polar head group at C3 (βOH, αOH or CO) and in the position of the double bond (C4–C5 in ring A or C5–C6 in ring B). In the three Δ5 sterols/steroid series, the concentration of these compounds required to abolish the DPPC pretransition, inversely related to their relative ability to disorder gel state DPPC bilayers, decreases in the order βOH>αOH>CO and these differences in concentration are significant. However, in the Δ4 series, these concentrations are more similar, regardless of polar head group nature or stereochemistry. Similarly, the residual enthalpy of the main phase transition of DPPC at 50mol.% sterol/steroid, which is inversely related to the miscibility of these compounds in the DPPC bilayer, also increases in the order βOH>αOH>CO, but this effect is attenuated in the Δ4 as opposed to the Δ5 series. Both of these results indicate that the presence of a double bond at C4–C5 in ring A, as compared to a C5–C6 double bond in ring B, reduces the effect of variations in the structure of the polar group at C3 on the properties of the host DPPC bilayer. The movement of the double bond from C5 to C4 in the two sterol pairs results in a greater decrease in the temperature and enthalpy of both the pretransition and the main phase transition, whereas the opposite result is observed in the ketosteroid pair. Similarly, the ability of these compounds to order the DPPC hydrocarbon chains decreases in the order βOH>αOH>CO in both series of compounds, but in the two sterol pairs, hydrocarbon chain ordering is greater for the Δ5 than the Δ4 sterols, whereas the opposite is the case for the steroid pair. All of these results indicate that the typical effects of sterols/steroids in increasing the packing density and thermal stability of fluid lipid bilayers are optimal when an OH group rather than CO group is present at C3, and that this OH group is more effective in the equatorial rather than the axial orientation. We can explain all of our sterol results by noting that the shift of the double bond from Δ5 to Δ4 introduces of a bend in ring A, which in turn destroys the coplanarity of the steroid fused ring system and reduces the goodness of sterol packing in the host DPPC bilayer. However, this conformational change should also occur in the ketosteroid pair, yet our experimental results indicate that the presence of the Δ4 double bond is less disruptive than a double bond at Δ5. We suggest that the presence of keto-enol tautomerism in the conjugated Δ4 ketosteroid, but not in the nonconjugated Δ5 compound, may provide additional H-bonding opportunities to adjacent DPPC molecules in the bilayer, which can overcome the unfavourable conformational change in ring A induced by the Δ4 double bond.

Photophysical Behavior of 8-Anilino-1-Naphthalenesulfonate in Vesicles of Pulmonary Surfactant Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and Its Sensitivity toward the Bile Salt–Vesicle Interaction

The photophysical behavior of 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulphonate (ANS) in vesicles of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), a pulmonary surfactant, has been carried out in a detailed manner. ANS shows notable variations in fluorescence intensity, lifetime, and anisotropy parameters as it gets into the vesicle. It was found that ANS partitions well into the DPPC bilayer membrane with an estimated partition coefficient of ~2.0 × 10(5). Among the various fluorescence parameters of ANS, fluorescence anisotropy was found to be most responsive to the temperature induced phase change of the bilayer membrane. These interesting fluorescence parameters of ANS were then used to study the hydration of lipid bilayer membrane by submicellar concentration of bile salts. From the steady-state fluorescence intensity and dynamic fluorescence lifetime analyses it is clear that ANS is able to probe the submicellar concentration (≤1 mM) of bile salt induced hydration of lipid bilayer membrane that accompanies expulsion of ANS from the bilayer to the aqueous bulk phase. Lower-temperature shift in the phase transition of DPPC bilayer indicates that fluorescence anisotropy of ANS is sensitive enough to the bile salt induced perturbation in the packed acyl chains of DPPC bilayer and modification in the membrane fluidity. In presence of sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) and sodium cholate (NaC) in DPPC vesicles, ANS experiences restriction in rotational mobility which is evident from the variation in steady-state fluorescence anisotropy and fluorescence anisotropy decay parameters.

Carbon Nanotube-Encapsulated Drug Penetration Through the Cell Membrane: An Investigation Based on Steered Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Understanding the penetration mechanisms of carbon nanotube (CNTs)-encapsulated drugs through the phospholipid bilayer cell membrane is an important issue for the development of intracellular drug delivery systems. In the present work, steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulation was used to explore the possibility of penetration of a polar drug, paclitaxel (PTX), encapsulated inside the CNT, through a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membrane. The interactions between PTX and CNT and between PTX and the confined water molecules inside the CNT had a significant effect on the penetration process of PTX. The results reveal that the presence of a PTX molecule increases the magnitude of the pulling force. The effect of pulling velocity on the penetration mechanism was also investigated by a series of SMD simulations, and it is shown that the pulling velocity had a significant effect on pulling force and the interaction between lipid bilayer and drug molecule.

Glycerol penetration profile in phospholipid bilayers measured by ESEEM of spin-labelled lipids

Electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopy of phospholipids systematically spin-labelled along the sn-2 chain was used to detect the penetration of a deuterium-substituted water–glycerol mixture H2O/C3D5(OH)3 (1:1 v/v) into dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayer membranes. The results provide a detailed profile of the penetration of glycerol across the membrane. The ESEEM amplitude induced by the hyperfine interaction with the deuterium nuclei drops substantially beyond the 10th label position. Beyond the 12th label position, the amplitude was nearly constant. A quantitative assessment of the glycerol concentration in the middle of the bilayer resulted in a value of ∼0.4 M (∼3% v/v). For comparison, analogous measurements were performed for the penetration of pure deuterium water D2O. In both cases, the ESEEM amplitudes varied similarly across the bilayer, except for the terminal 16th position. At this position, the amplitude for pure water was small and close in magnitude to the noise level.

VOLUMETRIC STUDY ON DIOLEOYLPHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE BILAYER BY PRESSURE PERTURBATION CALORIMETRY

We investigated the thermotropic volume behavior of the bilayer membrane of dioleoylphospha-tidylcholine ( DOPC ), which is a typical unsaturated phospholipid, by means of pressure perturbation calorimetry (PPC) in the temperature range of 6.0-85.6 °C. The thermal expansion coefficient of DOPC in the bilayer membrane was found to monotonically increase from 0.65 × 10-3 K-1 to 1.07 × 10-3 K-1 with increasing temperature. This is slightly small compared to that of dipalmi-toylphosphatidylcholine ( DPPC ) in the same state at the same temperature. Further, we calculated the specific volume V sp , L and the specific volume of the hydrocarbon region V sp , HC for DOPC and DPPC to consider the difference in the packing state of these bilayer membranes. The V sp , HC value is smaller for DOPC than for DPPC at any temperature above ca. 42 °C, which indicates that the packing state of the DOPC bilayer membrane in the liquid crystalline state is denser than that of the DPPC bilayer membrane in the same state.

A Calorimetric and Spectroscopic Comparison of the Effects of Lathosterol and Cholesterol on the Thermotropic Phase Behavior and Organization of Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine Bilayer Membranes

We performed differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic measurements to study the effects of lathosterol (Lath) on the thermotropic phase behavior and organization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayer membranes and compared our results with those previously reported for cholesterol (Chol)/DPPC binary mixtures. Lath is the penultimate intermediate in the biosynthesis of Chol in the Kandutsch-Russell pathway and differs from Chol only in the double bond position in ring B, which is between C7 and C8 in Lath and between C5 and C6 in Chol. Our DSC studies indicate that the incorporation of Lath is more effective than Chol in reducing the temperature and enthalpy of the DPPC pretransition. At lower sterol concentrations (≤10 mol %), incorporation of both Lath and Chol decreases the temperature, enthalpy, and cooperativity of the sharp component of the main phase transition of DPPC to a similar extent, but at higher sterol concentrations, Lath is more effective at decreasing the phase transition temperature, enthalpy, and cooperativity than Chol. These results indicate that at higher concentrations, Lath is more disruptive of DPPC gel-state bilayer packing than Chol is. Moreover, incorporation of Lath decreases the temperature of the broad component of the main phase transition of DPPC, whereas Chol increases it; this difference in the direction and magnitude of the temperature shift is accentuated at higher sterol concentrations. Although at sterol concentrations of ≤20 mol % Lath and Chol are almost equally effective at reducing the enthalpy and cooperativity of the broad component of the main phase transition, at higher sterol levels Lath is less effective than Chol in these regards and does not completely abolish the cooperative hydrocarbon chain melting phase transition at 50 mol %, as does Chol. These latter results indicate that Lath both is more disruptive with respect to the low-temperature state of the sterol-enriched domains of DPPC bilayers and has a lower lateral miscibility in DPPC bilayers than Chol. Our FTIR spectroscopic studies suggest that Lath incorporation produces a less tightly packed bilayer than does Chol at both low (gel state) and high (liquid-crystalline state) temperatures, which is characterized by increased H-bonding between water and the carbonyl groups of the fatty acyl chains in the DPPC bilayer. Overall, our studies indicate that Lath and Chol incorporation can have rather different effects on the thermotropic phase behavior and organization of DPPC bilayers and thus that the position of the double bond in ring B of a sterol molecule can have an appreciable effect on the physical properties of sterol molecules.