Cell membrane models are useful for obtaining molecular-level information on the interaction of biologically active molecules whose activity is believed to depend also on their effects on the membrane. Cytarabine was conjugated with fatty acids to improve the drug lipophilicity and the interaction with the biomembrane model. Cytarabine was conjugated with fatty acids of different lengths to form the trimyristoyl cytarabine and the tristearoyl cytarabine derivatives. Their interaction with biomembrane models constituted by dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) monolayers was studied by employing the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. DMPC/cytarabine, DMPC/trimyristoyl cytarabine and DMPC/tristearoyl cytarabine mixed monolayers at increasing molar fractions of the compound were prepared and placed on the subphase. The mean molecular area/surface pressure isotherms were recorded at 37 °C. Between the molecules of DMPC and those of cytarabine or prodrugs, repulsive forces act. However, these forces are very weak between DMPC and cytarabine and stronger between DMPC and the cytarabine derivatives, thus avoiding the expulsion of the compounds at higher surface pressure and modifying the stability of the mixed monolayer. The fatty acid moieties could then modulate the affinity of cytarabine for biomembranes.
Keywords: DMPC; Langmuir–Blodgett; biomembrane models; cytarabine; cytarabine derivatives.