Effect of a photoswitchable rotaxane on membrane permeabilization across lipid compositions

This study investigated a rotaxane featuring azobenzene photoswitches in its macrocycle and its ability to modulate membrane permeability in large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) of varying lipid compositions. Upon photoisomerization, the rotaxane significantly enhanced the release of the hydrophilic dye sulforhodamine B in vesicles composed of EYPC/Chol 8:2, with release increasing from 29% (non-irradiated) to 59% (irradiated). Moreover, gel-phase DPPC bilayers also exhibited an increase in release from 7% to 14%. On the contrary, highly fluid pure EYPC bilayers showed high baseline release upon rotaxane incorporation (64%), with photoswitching producing only a slight increase (70%), as most dye was released within the first minutes of rotaxane insertion. Likewise, azobenzene photoswitching did not induce permeabilization in the more rigid and thicker EYPC/Chol 6:4 bilayers, which showed minimal release (5%). Furthermore, we discovered that when the unthreaded axle is irradiated with light, an unknown, irreversible photochemical process occurs, which triggers the release from only the vesicles containing EYPC. These findings underscore the significance of both the physical and chemical properties of the bilayer in enabling effective light-triggered cargo release through rotaxane activation.