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Tuning the Spontaneous Formation of Helical Lipid Nanotubes by Bilayer Compositional Control
Martín Eduardo Villanueva1, Jean-Marie Ruysschaert2,3, Jehan Waeytens2,4
1Experimental Soft Matter and Thermal Physics (EST) Group, Department of Physics, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Boulevard du Triomphe CP223, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|December 10, 2025
Summary
Researchers explored how lipid mixtures self-assemble into helical nanotubes for drug delivery. They found that specific lipid compositions, like those with DOPC, control nanotube formation and stability, enabling tailored nanostructures.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Supramolecular Chemistry
Background:
- Helical lipid nanotubes are self-assembled nanostructures with potential in drug delivery and materials science.
- Rational design of these nanotubes depends on molecular shape, forces, and geometry.
- Controlling nanotube geometry requires understanding the balance of these parameters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how the composition of binary lipid mixtures influences helical nanotube self-assembly.
- To elucidate the link between bilayer composition, mixing thermodynamics, molecular interactions, and nanomechanics in nanotube formation.
- To understand the role of glycolipids (Ohmline) and phospholipids (DOPC, DPPC) in modulating nanotube structure.
Main Methods:
- Thermodynamic measurements of lipid mixtures.
- Spectroscopic analysis of lipid interactions.
- Nanomechanical property assessments of lipid bilayers.
- Compositional control of binary mixtures (Ohmline/phosphatidylcholines).
Main Results:
- Both DOPC and DPPC mix favorably with Ohmline, but DOPC mixtures are more energetically favorable.
- DOPC reduces glycolipid tilt, lowering the driving force for tube closure and stabilizing longer helical pitch structures.
- DPPC increases membrane rigidity, decreases glycolipid tilt, and raises the energy barrier for tubulation.
Conclusions:
- Lipid tilt and curvature elasticity are key mechanisms governing nanotube formation.
- Compositional control of lipid mixtures provides a facile route to modulate helical nanotube self-assembly.
- Findings enable the rational design of lipid-based nanotubular platforms with tailored properties for applications.
