DPPC Bilayers in Solutions of High Sucrose Content

Biophys J. 2018 May 8;114(9):2165-2173. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2018.04.003.

Abstract

The properties of lipid bilayers in sucrose solutions have been intensely scrutinized over recent decades because of the importance of sugars in the field of biopreservation. However, a consensus has not yet been formed on the mechanisms of sugar-lipid interaction. Here, we present a study on the effect of sucrose on 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine bilayers that combines calorimetry, spectral fluorimetry, and optical microscopy. Intriguingly, our results show a significant decrease in the transition enthalpy but only a minor shift in the transition temperature. Our observations can be quantitatively accounted for by a thermodynamic model that assumes partial delayed melting induced by sucrose adsorption at the membrane interface.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine / chemistry*
  • Lipid Bilayers / chemistry*
  • Solutions
  • Sucrose / chemistry*
  • Thermodynamics
  • Transition Temperature

Substances

  • Lipid Bilayers
  • Solutions
  • 1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine
  • Sucrose