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Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging and Force Spectroscopy of Supported Lipid Bilayers
Published on: July 22, 2015
Membrane Rigidity Determined by Atomic Force Microscopy Is a Parameter of the Permeability of Liposomal Membranes to
Yuki Takechi-Haraya1,2, Kumiko Sakai-Kato3, Yukihiro Goda2
1Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, 1-7-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-0004, Japan.
Abstract:
We determined the permeability coefficient of a model hydrophilic drug, calcein, encapsulated within saturated lipid-based nano-sized liposomes of various lipid profiles. We demonstrated that the addition of cholesterol to liposomes containing saturated lipids increased the permeability of the liposomal membrane to calcein via a decrease in the membrane bending modulus, as determined by means of atomic force microscopy. We found an inverse correlation between the membrane bending modulus of saturated lipid-based nano-sized liposomes and the permeability coefficient of encapsulated calcein, demonstrating that bending modulus, as determined by means of atomic force microscopy, is a quantitative parameter describing the permeability of liposomal membranes to calcein.
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