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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2026

Differential Effects of Lipid-lowering Drugs in Modulating Morphology of Cholesterol Particles

Differential Effects of Lipid-lowering Drugs in Modulating Morphology of Cholesterol Particles

Published on: November 10, 2017

Losartan's affinity to fluid bilayers modulates lipid-cholesterol interactions.

A Hodzic¹, P Zoumpoulakis, G Pabst

¹Institute of Biophysics and Nanosystems Research, Austrian Academy of Science, 8042 Graz, Austria.

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP

|March 8, 2012

Summary

Losartan incorporation into lipid bilayers alters membrane structure, causing vesicle formation and reduced thickness. Cholesterol influences losartan

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Last Updated: May 24, 2026

Differential Effects of Lipid-lowering Drugs in Modulating Morphology of Cholesterol Particles

Differential Effects of Lipid-lowering Drugs in Modulating Morphology of Cholesterol Particles

Published on: November 10, 2017

Area of Science:

Biophysics
Membrane Biophysics
Pharmacology

Background:

Losartan is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist used for hypertension.
Its membrane diffusion mechanism necessitates understanding its interaction with lipid bilayers.
Model membranes provide a controlled system to study drug-lipid interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of losartan on model lipid membranes.
To determine how cholesterol affects losartan's interaction with different lipid compositions.
To elucidate the physical basis of losartan's membrane partitioning and its implications for drug action.

Main Methods:

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was employed to analyze structural changes.
Losartan was incorporated into dimyristoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and palmitoyl-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) bilayers.
Binary mixtures of these lipids with cholesterol were studied at varying concentrations.

Main Results:

Losartan incorporation into DMPC and POPC bilayers induced negative surface charge, leading to unilamellar vesicles and a 3-4% reduction in bilayer thickness.
The partial area of losartan was estimated to be approximately 40 Å(2).
Cholesterol's effect on losartan partitioning differed between POPC and DMPC; it hindered membrane condensation in POPC but led to losartan depletion in DMPC at higher cholesterol concentrations (≥20 mol%).

Conclusions:

Losartan's interaction with lipid bilayers is dependent on lipid composition and cholesterol content.
Losartan exhibits chain-saturation dependent competition with lipid-cholesterol interactions.
Losartan is insoluble in the liquid-ordered phase, suggesting its action primarily occurs in fluid membrane domains rather than cholesterol-rich rafts.