Elasticity, strength and stability of bilayer lipid membranes and their changes due to phospholipid modification

Elasticity measurements of bilayer lipid membranes (BLM) based on registration of the third harmonic of the membrane current during the application of a periodic tension to the membrane was used to study the effects of lipid peroxidation (LPO) and phospholipase A on BLM. LPO resulted in decreased values of the Young modulus for BLM, while some products of LPO and phospholipid hydrolysis (linolenic acid) were able to increase drastically the modulus. The presence of individual products of LPO and phospholipid hydrolysis in BLM produced non-additive effects on the elasticity, strength and stability of BLM. Lysolecithine strongly affected both the strength and stability of BLM. without changing its elasticity modulus. It was found that the lower the rate of structural changes in lecithine BLM, the longer its lifetime. Membranes having a heterogeneous polar composition form more stable BLM as compared to chemically homogeneous membranes.