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Published on: January 30, 2019
n-Butanol partitioning into phase-separated heterogeneous lipid monolayers
Yogi Kurniawan1, Carmen Scholz, Geoffrey D Bothun
1Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rhode Island, 16 Greenhouse Rd., Kingston, Rhode Island 02881, United States.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|July 30, 2013
Summary
Cellular adaptation to alcohol involves changing cell membrane lipids. This study shows how alcohol affects lipid mixtures, impacting membrane structure and elasticity, especially in mixed lipid environments.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Membrane Science
Background:
- Cellular adaptation to alcohol involves membrane lipid alterations.
- Biophysical responses of heterogeneous membranes to alcohol are understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the biophysical effects of n-butanol on mixed lipid monolayers.
- To understand how lipid composition and phase coexistence influence n-butanol partitioning and membrane restructuring.
Main Methods:
- Surface pressure-area (π-A) analysis was used to study lipid monolayers.
- Mixed monolayers of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) were examined.
- Varying concentrations of DOPC and n-butanol were applied.
Main Results:
- n-Butanol induced lipid expansion and increased elasticity in DPPC monolayers.
- Maximum lipid expansion occurred at equimolar DPPC:DOPC, indicating partitioning between liquid expanded (LE) and liquid condensed (LC) phases.
- DOPC tail kinking reduced n-butanol's effect in DOPC-rich monolayers, altering LC domain morphology.
Conclusions:
- Lipid composition and phase coexistence significantly influence n-butanol partitioning.
- Membrane restructuring and elasticity changes are dependent on the heterogeneous lipid environment.
- These findings are crucial for understanding cellular adaptation to alcohol at a biophysical level.
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