Interaction between DMPC liposomes and HM-PNIPAM polymer

The interactions of hydrophobically-modified poly-(N-isopropylacrylamides) (HM-PNIPAM) and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) vesicles were investigated by the effect of the polymer on the binding of a fluorescent dye, oxonol VI, to DMPC vesicles, and on its diffusion across the membrane. On mixing with the vesicles, the dye exhibits an increase in fluorescence, which occurs in a two-stage process. The process was monitored by stopped-flow fluorescence spectrophotometry. According to the dependence of the reciprocal relaxation time on vesicle concentration, the rapid stage seems to be due to the second-order binding of the dye to the lipid membrane, a process that is almost diffusion-controlled, whereas the slow process is attributed to movement of the dye within the membrane phase. The polymer did not significantly affect the rate constant of the binding step, but it slowed down slightly the dissociation process of the dye from the membrane. However, the polymer affected the second stage, causing an increase in the reciprocal of its relaxation time, which suggests that the polymer makes the vesicle membrane more fluid.