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Self-Assembly of Hybrid Lipid Membranes Doped with Hydrophobic Organic Molecules at the Water/Air Interface

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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as plausible prebiotic membrane components.

Joost Groen¹, David W Deamer, Alexander Kros

¹Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands. j.groen@student.ru.nl

Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere : the Journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life

|July 17, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may have stabilized early Earth membranes. Oxidized PAHs incorporated into fatty acid vesicles reduced membrane permeability, suggesting a cholesterol-like function for prebiotic chemistry.

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Preparation, Purification, and Use of Fatty Acid-containing Liposomes

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Published on: February 9, 2018

Area of Science:

Astrobiology
Biochemistry
Materials Science

Background:

Aromatic molecules were abundant on early Earth.
The Aromatic World hypothesis proposes their role in abiogenesis.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may have served as early membrane components.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate the role of PAHs as container elements for early life.
Determine if PAHs can stabilize fatty acid vesicle membranes.
Assess PAH influence on vesicle stability and permeability, mimicking cholesterol's function.

Main Methods:

Incorporation of amphiphilic PAH derivatives into C(6)-C(10) fatty acid vesicles.
Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) for vesicle size distribution.
Phase-contrast and epifluorescence microscopy for PAH incorporation.
Conductimetric titration to determine critical vesicle concentration.

Main Results:

Oxidized PAHs incorporated into decanoic acid vesicles at up to 1:10 PAH:DA ratio.
Vesicle size distribution and critical vesicle concentration were largely unaffected.
1-hydroxypyrene and 9-anthracene carboxylic acid reduced bilayer permeability up to 4-fold.

Conclusions:

Oxidized PAH derivatives exhibit a cholesterol-like stabilizing effect in simulated prebiotic membranes.
PAHs could have played a crucial role in the formation and stability of early life structures.
This study provides evidence for PAH functionality in prebiotic vesicle formation.