The hydration of phospholipids and phospholipid-cholesterol complexes

The hydration characteristics of phosphatidylcholines and the effect of cholesterol on these were studied with differential thermal analysis and water vapour adsorption experiments. Also the water adsorption of egg phosphatidylethanolamine and the effect of cholesterol on this was studied and compared with corresponding qualities of phosphatidylcholine. The differential thermal analysis study showed that the monohydrates of egg, dipalmitoyl, and dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine tightly bind approximately 9 molecules of water per phosphatidylcholine molecule. Cholesterol is proved to somewhat increase the water binding of the phospholipids. Cholesterol is also shown to decrease the heat change of the chain melting transition of dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine, but not to abolish it completely. The water adsorption experiments indicate that the hydration of phosphatidylcholines takes place in two steps; a strong initial water binding and a second phase of weak binding. The adsorption isotherm of egg phosphatidylethanolamine is strikingly different from that of egg phosphatidylcholine. Cholesterol is shown, also by this method, to increase the hydration of phospholipids especially that of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. The results in this study are in good agreement with those presented by many other authors. Starting with the accumulated information of the hydration characteristics of phosphatidylcholines the organization of the bound water around the polar group is discussed and the most probable model is evaluated.