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Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Biomembrane Fabrication by the Solvent-assisted Lipid Bilayer SALB Method
Published on: December 1, 2015
Kinetic evolution of DOPC lipid bilayers exposed to α-cyclodextrins
Monika Kluzek1, Marc Schmutz, Carlos M Marques
1Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Charles Sadron, UPR022, 23 rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg Cedex, France. monika.kluzek@weizmann.ac.il fabrice.thalmann@ics-cnrs.unistra.fr.
Abstract:
Cyclodextrins are cyclic oligosaccharides capable of forming inclusion complexes with a variety of molecules, and as such have been recognized as a pharmaceutical and biotechnological asset. Cyclodextrins are known to interact with the components of cell membranes, and this correlates with a significant degree of cytotoxicity. In this work, we report on the mechanism of degradation of a model dioleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DOPC) bilayer exposed to a solution with increasing concentrations of α-cyclodextrins. By combining optical fluorescence microscopy and quartz-crystal microbalance experiments, we study the evolution of supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) and giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). The rate of lipid removal is found to display a strong nonlinear dependence on the cyclodextrin concentration. A mechanism involving lipid aggregates is proposed.
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