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Related Experiment Videos

Membrane solubilization by detergent: resistance conferred by thickness.

Veena Pata1, Fariyal Ahmed, Dennis E Discher

  • 1Department of Chemical Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA. vp35@drexel.edu

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|June 23, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Surfactant dissolution of polymer vesicles differs from lipid vesicles. Thicker polymer membranes resist dissolution, with surfactant transport through the bilayer being the primary mechanism when flip-flop is suppressed.

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Biophysics
  • Physical Chemistry

Background:

  • Detergent/surfactant-induced membrane dissolution typically involves lipid transport across bilayer leaflets ('flip-flop').
  • This model is insufficient for systems where cross-bilayer transport is restricted, such as polymeric vesicles.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanism of surfactant-induced solubilization in polymeric bilayers.
  • To understand how bilayer thickness affects the dissolution process in polymersomes.

Main Methods:

  • Dynamic light scattering was used to study the dissolution of polymer-based vesicles (polymersomes) of varying thicknesses.
  • A nonionic surfactant, Triton X-100, was employed to induce solubilization.
  • Experimental data were analyzed alongside a theoretical model.

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Main Results:

  • Increased bilayer thickness correlated with enhanced resistance to dissolution by Triton X-100.
  • The concentration of surfactant required for solubilization increased nearly linearly with membrane thickness.
  • The dominant dissolution mechanism in polymersomes, where polymer flip-flop is suppressed, is surfactant transport through the bilayer.

Conclusions:

  • The mechanism of surfactant-induced dissolution in polymeric vesicles differs significantly from that in lipid vesicles.
  • Surfactant transport through the bilayer is the key mechanism when cross-bilayer lipid movement is inhibited.
  • Bilayer thickness is a critical factor determining the stability of polymersomes against surfactant attack.