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Related Concept Videos

Membrane Lipids01:32

Membrane Lipids

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Lipids are an essential component of all biological membranes. The average lipid content in mammalian membranes is 50%, though it can be as low as 20% in the inner mitochondrial membrane or as high as 80% in the myelin sheath present around the nerve cells.
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Lipids function as structural components of cellular membranes, in addition to acting as energy reservoirs and signaling molecules. They are thus crucial to all living organisms.  The three biologically important classes of lipids are triglycerides, phospholipids, and steroids.
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Lipids include a diverse group of compounds that are largely nonpolar in nature. This is because they are hydrocarbons that include mostly nonpolar carbon-carbon or carbon-hydrogen bonds. Non-polar molecules are hydrophobic (“water fearing”), or insoluble in water. Lipids perform many different functions in a cell. Cells store energy for long-term use in the form of fats. Lipids also provide insulation from the environment for plants and animals. For example, they help keep aquatic...
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The cell membrane, or plasma membrane, is an ever-changing landscape. It is described as a fluid mosaic where various macromolecules are embedded in the phospholipid bilayer. Among the macromolecules are proteins. The protein content varies across cell types. For example, mitochondrial inner membranes contain ~76% protein content, while myelin contains ~18% protein content. Individual cells contain many types of membrane proteins—red blood cells contain over 50—and different cell...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Tethered Bilayer Lipid Membranes to Monitor Heat Transfer between Gold Nanoparticles and Lipid Membranes
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Nanoparticle-Engendered Rupture of Lipid Membranes.

Sean Burgess1, Aleksey Vishnyakov2, Christopher Tsovko1

  • 1Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers , The State University of New Jersey , 98 Brett Road , Piscataway , New Jersey 08854 , United States.

The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
|August 8, 2018
PubMed
Summary

This study reveals how nanoparticle size affects the rupture of lipid membranes under tension. Larger nanoparticles decrease membrane stability, offering insights into membrane rupture dynamics.

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Area of Science:

  • Computational Biophysics
  • Materials Science
  • Membrane Biophysics

Background:

  • Lipid membranes are crucial biological structures.
  • Understanding membrane rupture is vital for drug delivery and biomaterial design.
  • Encapsulated nanoparticles can influence membrane stability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate tension-induced rupture of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) lipid membranes containing hydrophobic nanoparticles.
  • To establish a nanoparticle size-dependent relationship for membrane rupture probability.
  • To explore homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation mechanisms of membrane hole formation.

Main Methods:

  • Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations were employed.
  • Analysis of hole formation dynamics under varying membrane tension.
  • Application of classical Deryagin-Gutop (DG) theory, extended for heterogeneous nucleation.

Main Results:

  • A clear size-dependent relationship between nanoparticle size and membrane rupture probability was established.
  • Heterogeneous nucleation at nanoparticle surfaces significantly lowers lysis tension with increasing particle size.
  • Homogeneous nucleation kinetics in unloaded membranes align with classical DG theory predictions.

Conclusions:

  • Nanoparticle presence, particularly larger ones, destabilizes lipid membranes under tension.
  • An extended DG theory incorporating an effective contact angle quantitatively explains heterogeneous nucleation.
  • This work provides a framework for predicting membrane stability across larger scales and timescales.