Molecular interactions of hesperidin with DMPC/cholesterol bilayers

Since cell membranes are complex systems, the use of model lipid bilayers is quite important for the study of their interactions with bioactive molecules. Mammalian cell membranes require cholesterol (CHOL) for their structure and function. For this reason, the mixtures of phospholipid and cholesterol are necessary to use in model membrane studies to better simulate the real systems. In the present study, we investigated the effect of the incorporation of hesperidin in model membranes consisting of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and CHOL by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). ATR-FTIR results demonstrated that hesperidin increases the fluidity of the DMPC/CHOL binary system. DSC findings indicated that the presence of 5 mol% hesperidin induces a broadening of the main phase transition consisting of three overlapping components. AFM experiments showed that hesperidin increases the thickness of DMPC/CHOL lipid bilayer model membranes. In addition to experimental results, molecular docking studies were conducted with hesperidin and human lanosterol synthase (LS), which is an enzyme found in the final step of cholesterol synthesis, to characterize hesperidin's interactions with its surrounding via its hydroxyl and oxygen groups. Then, hesperidin's ADME/Tox (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity) profile was computed to see the potential impact on living system. In conclusion, considering the data obtained from experimental studies, this work ensures molecular insights in the interaction between a flavonoid, as an antioxidant drug model, and lipids mimicking those found in mammalian membranes. Moreover, computational studies demonstrated that hesperidin may be a great potential for use as a therapeutic agent for hypercholesterolemia due to its antioxidant property.