Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 3, 2026

Live Imaging Assay for Assessing the Roles of Ca2+ and Sphingomyelinase in the Repair of Pore-forming Toxin Wounds
18:25

Live Imaging Assay for Assessing the Roles of Ca2+ and Sphingomyelinase in the Repair of Pore-forming Toxin Wounds

Published on: August 25, 2013

Sphingomyelin content conditions insertion of daunorubicin within phosphatidylcholine monolayers

Marie-France Lecompte1, Guy Laurent, Jean-Pierre Jaffrézou

  • 1Faculté de Médecine de Rangueil, INSERM U466, Toulouse, France.

FEBS Letters
|August 7, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Chemotherapy drug daunorubicin (DNR) triggers cell death via plasma membrane changes. This study shows sphingomyelin (SM) content facilitates DNR insertion into cell membranes, a key step in its mechanism.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Cell Biology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Chemotherapeutic agents like daunorubicin (DNR) induce apoptosis, a programmed cell death pathway.
  • This process involves plasma membrane alterations, including sphingomyelin (SM) hydrolysis and ceramide generation.
  • The precise mechanism by which DNR interacts with membrane lipids to initiate these changes remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interaction between daunorubicin (DNR) and membrane lipid constituents.
  • To elucidate the role of sphingomyelin (SM) in the adsorption and insertion of DNR into cell membranes.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized alternative current polarography and voltammetry techniques.
  • Examined the behavior of DNR in condensed phosphatidylcholine monolayers with varying SM content.

Main Results:

  • Daunorubicin (DNR) first adsorbs to the cell membrane surface.
  • The presence of sphingomyelin (SM) significantly enhances the insertion of DNR into phosphatidylcholine monolayers.
  • This suggests SM plays a crucial role in facilitating DNR's membrane penetration.

Conclusions:

  • Sphingomyelin (SM) content is a critical factor in mediating the interaction of daunorubicin (DNR) with cell membranes.
  • Facilitated DNR insertion, influenced by SM, likely contributes to the initiation of the apoptotic pathway observed in chemotherapy.
  • These findings provide initial insights into the molecular mechanisms of DNR-induced cell death at the plasma membrane.

More Related Videos

Preparation and Characterization of Lipophilic Doxorubicin Pro-drug Micelles09:56

Preparation and Characterization of Lipophilic Doxorubicin Pro-drug Micelles

Published on: August 2, 2016

A Liposome Membrane Permeability Assay for Investigating the Effects of Phosphatidylinositol Phosphate Groups on Membranotropic Action of Venom PLA210:31

A Liposome Membrane Permeability Assay for Investigating the Effects of Phosphatidylinositol Phosphate Groups on Membranotropic Action of Venom PLA2

Published on: September 26, 2025

Related Concept Videos

Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer01:35

Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer

Biological membranes show uneven distribution of different types of lipids in the inner and outer layers, resulting in transverse asymmetric membranes. The treatment of the erythrocyte membrane with the enzyme phospholipase confirmed the asymmetric nature of the lipid bilayer. The enzyme hydrolyzes lipids into fatty acids and hydrophilic groups. The phospholipase acts only on the outer layer of the membrane, while the inner layer remains intact. The phospholipase treatment resulted in 80%...
Phosphoinositides and PIPs01:42

Phosphoinositides and PIPs

Phosphoinositides are a group of phospholipids containing a glycerol backbone with two fatty acid chains and a phosphate attached to a myoinositol sugar ring. The inositol head group extends into the cytoplasm, where it is modified by adding phosphate groups to form phosphatidylinositol phosphates or PIPs.
Different phosphoinositides are synthesized and recruited on the cytosolic face of the plasma membrane. The localization of specific phosphoinositides concentrated in separate membrane...
Synthesis of Phosphatidylcholine in the ER Membrane01:27

Synthesis of Phosphatidylcholine in the ER Membrane

The ER synthesizes lipids for building cell membranes and performing cellular functions such as energy storage and signaling. The lipid synthesis machinery embedded in the ER membrane primarily collects all reactants from the cytosol. Following synthesis, the secretory pathway and the ER contact sites distribute these lipids to other cellular organelles. Additionally, the energy-rich triacylglycerides are transported from the ER via lipid droplets.
The major components of all eukaryotic cell...