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Oxyethylene chain-cation complexation: nonionic polyoxyethylene detergents attain a positive charge and demonstrate
H Hägerstrand1, J Bobacka, M Bobrowska-Hägerstrand
1Department of Biology, Abo Akademi University, Abo/Turku, Finland.
Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters
|September 7, 2001
Abstract:
We report literature data indicating that the polyoxyethylene chain of polyoxyethylene detergents attracts cations via dipole-ion interactions thereby attaining a positive charge character. This implies that nonionic polyoxyethylene detergents like Triton X-100 and C12E8 may interact electrostatically with phospholipid head groups. We describe how a positive charge character of Triton X-100 and C12E8 can explain their hitherto mysterious stomatocytogenic shape altering effect in human erythrocytes.