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Lipid membrane structure and interactions in dimethyl sulfoxide/water mixtures
V I Gordeliy1, M A Kiselev, P Lesieur
1IBI-2, Structural Biology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany. g.valentin@fz-juelich.de
Biophysical Journal
|October 28, 1998
Summary
Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) alters lipid membrane structure by affecting dipalmitoyiphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) spacing and hydrocarbon chain packing. These DMSO-induced structural changes influence membrane properties and may explain its therapeutic effects.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Materials Science
- Physical Chemistry
Background:
- Lipid membranes are crucial for cellular function.
- Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is known for its biological and therapeutic properties.
- Understanding DMSO's interaction with lipid membranes is key to its applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the structural impact of DMSO on dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) lipid membranes.
- To correlate structural changes with DMSO concentration.
- To elucidate the mechanism behind DMSO's interaction with membrane surfaces.
Main Methods:
- X-ray diffraction was used to analyze DPPC-DMSO/water mixtures.
- Measurements were conducted across a range of DMSO mole fractions (XDMSO).
- Lipid chain packing and phase transitions were examined.
Main Results:
- DMSO significantly reduced membrane repeat distance at low concentrations (XDMSO ≤ 0.133).
- Orthorhombic chain packing transitioned to quasi-hexagonal at intermediate DMSO concentrations (0.133 < XDMSO < 0.3).
- DMSO induced an interdigitated phase at high concentrations (XDMSO ≈ 0.9) and increased the chain-melting transition temperature.
Conclusions:
- DMSO strongly interacts with and solvates the DPPC membrane surface, likely displacing water.
- DMSO modifies lipid bilayer structure, influencing membrane properties.
- These structural modifications provide insights into DMSO's biological and therapeutic activities.