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Thermodynamic approach to phase coexistence in ternary phospholipid-cholesterol mixtures
J Wolff1, C M Marques, F Thalmann
1Institut Charles Sadron, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UPR 22, 23 rue du Loess, Strasbourg Cedex, F-67037, France.
Abstract:
We introduce a simple and predictive model for determining the phase stability of ternary phospholipid-cholesterol mixtures. Assuming that competition between the liquid and gel order of the phospholipids is the main driving force behind lipid segregation, we derive a Gibbs free energy of mixing, based on the thermodynamic properties of the lipids main transition. A numerical approach was devised that enables the fast and efficient determination of the ternary diagrams associated with our Gibbs free energy. The computed phase coexistence diagram of DOPC/DPPC/cholesterol reproduces well-known features for this system at 10 °C, as well as its evolution with temperature.
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