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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Assembly of Cell Mimicking Supported and Suspended Lipid Bilayer Models for the Study of Molecular Interactions
Published on: August 3, 2021
The influence of different membrane components on the electrical stability of bilayer lipid membranes
Iris van Uitert1, Séverine Le Gac, Albert van den Berg
1BIOS the Lab-on-a-Chip group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnnology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
A good understanding of cell membrane properties is crucial for better controlled and reproducible experiments, particularly for cell electroporation where the mechanism of pore formation is not fully elucidated. In this article we study the influence on that process of several constituents found in natural membranes using bilayer lipid membranes. This is achieved by measuring the electroporation threshold (V(th)) defined as the potential at which pores appear in the membrane. We start from highly stable 1,2-diphytanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPhPC) membranes (V(th) approximately 200 mV), and subsequently add therein other phospholipids, cholesterol and a channel protein. While the phospholipid composition has a slight effect (100 mV
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