Electric birefringence as a means of studying the effect of anaesthetics on liposomes

Electric field-induced transient birefringence and light scattering of synthetic liposomes

The dynamics of electric field-induced transient birefringence Deltan(t) and light scattering (detected as turbidity) of 190 nm diameter unilamellar vesicles of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine are investigated as a function of applied field strength E, length of the square pulse Deltat, lipid concentration, mean hydrodynamic diameter <Dh>, ionic strength, and temperature. Generally, induced birefringence exclusively is observed at low lipid concentration and below certain threshold values of E and Deltat, whereas concomitant induced turbidity appears at high lipid concentration and above thresholds values of E and Deltat. Turbidity is monitored through the change in transmitted intensity DeltaS parallel(t) and DeltaS perpendicular(t) of light polarized parallel and perpendicular to the applied field E. The field-induced structural changes are reflected in double-exponential forward relaxation and triple-exponential reverse relaxation of the positive birefringence, and in non-exponential relaxations of DeltaS parallel (t) and DeltaS perpendicular(t). Under the field, the associated physical events are interpreted as elongation of the spherical bilayer shells in the direction of E, linear chain formation (pearling) of the induced dipolar liposomes parallel to E, and partial fusion of adjoining vesicles within the chains. Under conditions where electroporation can be detected, pore opening succeeds the elongation of the vesicles. After termination of the field, the vesicles return to their original time average spherical shape, the oriented chains randomize and disintegrate, and the fused structures are converted either to unilamellar or multilamellar vesicles.

Effect of Triton X-100 on the physical properties of liposomes

The interaction of the nonionic detergent Triton X-100 with phospholipid bilayers of liposomes made of egg yolk phosphatidylcholine was studied through the behavior of several physical properties. The dielectric permittivity spectra between 30 kHz and 13 MHz, the viscosity, the density, and the d.c. conductivity (1 kHz) of aqueous liposomes suspensions at various mole ratios were measured at 22 degrees C. For detergent-to-phospholipid ratios lower than 3, a dielectric relaxation process of characteristic frequency of about 50 kHz was recorded. This process does not appear for the liposomes in water, and becomes smaller and smaller for detergent-to-phospholipid ratios higher than 3. The viscosity of these suspensions showed a biphasic behavior, being remarkably increased by the detergent for concentration ratios lower than 3. The measured d.c. conductivity of these samples showed no relation with this process, being slightly increased when the detergent content is increased. As a conclusion of these results a well defined concentration range appears where the phospholipid organization changes forming highly asymmetrical structures.

Atrial muscarinic receptors: effect of Triton X-100 on guanine nucleotide and ammonium ion modulation

Membranes isolated from bovine atria were labeled with [3H]quinuclidinyl benzylate (3H-QNB), in control conditions and after 0.02% Triton X-100. This treatment inactivated about 20% of muscarinic receptor sites without loss of protein. The remaining 80% sites showed no changes in affinity, as determined by equilibrium or kinetic binding. Competition experiments with carbachol showed no differences in IC50 and Hill number between the control and detergent-membranes, suggesting that the different populations of agonist binding sites are inactivated in equal proportions by the detergent. In binding experiments, done in the presence of carbachol and guanine nucleotides, the detergent treated membranes were slightly more sensitive to the enhancing action of the nucleotide. The inhibition caused by ammonium ions was also more marked in the Triton X-100 treated membranes. The decay of binding with thermal inactivation was faster in the detergent treated membranes and this effect was enhanced in the presence of ammonium ions. These results may be interpreted as an indication that the receptors, remaining after the mild Triton X-100 treatment, are equally sensitive to the inactivation. We suggest that, while maintaining the heterogeneity of sites, the detergent produces a perturbation that could affect the molecular interactions between the receptor and other components of the membrane.