What can we learn about amphiphile-membrane interaction from model lipid membranes?

Breaking boundaries: the advancements in transdermal delivery of antibiotics

Transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDS) for antibiotics have seen significant advances in recent years that aimed to improve the efficacy and safety of these drugs. TDDS offer many advantages over other conventional delivery systems such as non-invasiveness, controlled-release pattern, avoidance of first-pass metabolism. The objective of this review is to provide an overview on the recent advances in the TDDS of different groups of antibiotics including β-lactams, tetracyclines, macrolides, and lincosamides, utilized for their effective delivery through the skin and to explore the challenges associated with this field. The majority of antibiotics do not have favorable properties for passive transdermal delivery. Thus, novel strategies have been employed to improve the delivery of antibiotics through the skin, such as the use of nanotechnology (nanoparticles, solid-lipid nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, vesicular carriers, and liposomes) or the physical enhancement techniques like microneedles and ultrasound. In conclusion, the transdermal delivery systems could be a promising method for delivering antibiotics that have the potential to improve patient outcomes and enhance the efficacy of drugs. Further research and development are still needed to explore the potential of delivering more antibiotic drugs by using various transdermal drug delivery approaches.

Multidimensional Spectral Phasors of LAURDAN's Excitation-Emission Matrices: The Ultimate Sensor for Lipid Phases?

The impact of lipid diversity on the lateral organization of biological membranes remains a topic of debate. While the existence of domains in lamellar membranes is well-established, the nonlamellar phases occurring in biological systems are less explored due to technical constraints. Here, we present the measurement of the excitation-emission matrices (EEM) of LAURDAN in several lipid structures. LAURDAN is a fluorescence probe widely used for characterizing lipid assemblies. The EEMs were analyzed by multidimensional spectral phasors (MdSP), an approach that seizes information from both the excitation and emission spectra. We developed a computer algorithm to construct EEM data based on a model for LAURDAN's photophysics. The MdSP calculated from the simulated EEMs reveals that all feasible possibilities lie inside a universal triangle in the phasor's plot. We use this triangle to propose a ternary representation for the phasors, allowing a better assessment of LAURDAN's surroundings in terms of hydration, water mobility, and local electronic environment. Building upon this foundation, we constructed a theoretical "phase map" that can assess both lamellar and nonlamellar membranes. We thoroughly validated this theory using well-known lipid mixtures under different phase-state conditions and enzymatically generated systems. Our results confirm that the use of MdSP is a powerful tool for obtaining quantitative information on both lamellar and nonlamellar structures. This study not only advances our understanding of the impact of lipid diversity on membrane organization but also provides a robust and general framework for the assessment of fluorescence properties that can be further extended to other probes.

Nanoemulsions of synthetic rhamnolipids act as plant resistance inducers without damaging plant tissues or affecting soil microbiota

Plant pathogens and pests can cause significant losses in crop yields, affecting food security and the global economy. Many traditional chemical pesticides are used to combat these organisms. This can lead to the development of pesticide-resistant strains of pathogens/insects and negatively impact the environment. The development of new bioprotectants, which are less harmful to the environment and less likely to lead to pesticide-resistance, appears as a sustainable strategy to increase plant immunity. Natural Rhamnolipids (RL-Nat) are a class of biosurfactants with bioprotectant properties that are produced by an opportunistic human pathogen bacterium. RL-Nat can act as plant resistance inducers against a wide variety of pathogens. Recently, a series of bioinspired synthetic mono-RLs produced by green chemistry were also reported as phytoprotectants. Here, we explored their capacity to generate novel colloidal systems that might be used to encapsulate bioactive hydrophobic compounds to enhance their performance as plant bioprotectants. The synthetic mono-RLs showed good surfactant properties and emulsification power providing stable nanoemulsions capable of acting as bio-carriers with good wettability. Synthetic RLs-stabilized nanoemulsions were more effective than RLs suspensions at inducing plant immunity, without causing deleterious effects. These nanoemulsions were innocuous to native substrate microbiota and beneficial soil-borne microbes, making them promising safe bio-carriers for crop protection.

Phospholipases and Membrane Curvature: What Is Happening at the Surface?

In this revision work, we emphasize the close relationship between the action of phospholipases and the modulation of membrane curvature and curvature stress resulting from this activity. The alteration of the tridimensional structure of membranes upon the action of phospholipases is analyzed based on studies on model lipid membranes. The transient unbalance of both compositional and physical membrane properties between the hemilayers upon phospholipase activity lead to curvature tension and the catalysis of several membrane-related processes. Several proteins' membrane-bound and soluble forms are susceptible to regulation by the curvature stress induced by phospholipase action, which has important consequences in cell signaling. Additionally, the modulation of membrane fusion by phospholipase products regulates membrane dynamics in several cellular scenarios. We commented on vesicle fusion in the Golgi-endoplasmic system, synaptic vesicle fusion to the plasma membrane, viral membrane fusion to host cell plasma membrane and gametes membrane fusion upon acrosomal reaction. Furthermore, we explored the modulation of membrane fusion by the asymmetric adsorption of amphiphilic drugs. A deep understanding of the relevance of lipid membrane structure, particularly membrane curvature and curvature stress, on different cellular events leads to the challenge of its regulation, which may become a powerful tool for pharmacological therapy.

Assessing the role of membrane lipids in the action of ruthenium(III) anticancer compounds

This work addresses the possible role of the cell membrane in the molecular mechanism of action of two salan-type ruthenium complexes that were previously shown to be active against human tumor cells, namely [Ru(III)(L1)(PPh₃)Cl] and [Ru(III)(L2)(PPh₃)Cl] (where L1 is 6,6'-(1R,2R)-cyclohexane-1,2-diylbis(azanediyl)bis(methylene)bis(3-methoxyphenol); and L2 is 2,2'-(1R,2R)-cyclohexane-1,2-diylbis(azanediyl)bis(methylene)bis(4-methoxyphenol)). One-component membrane models were first used, a disordered fluid bilayer of dioleoylphosphatodylcholine (DOPC), and an ordered rigid gel bilayer of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. In addition, two quaternary mixtures of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingomyelin and cholesterol were used to mimic the lipid composition either of mammalian plasma membrane (1:1:1:1 mol ratio) or of a cancer cell line membrane (36.2:23.6:6.8:33.4 mol ratio). The results show that both salan ligands L1 and L2 bind relatively strongly to DOPC bilayers, but without significantly affecting their structure. The ruthenium complexes have moderate affinity for DOPC. However, their impact on the membranes was notable, leading to a significant increase in the permeability of the lipid vesicles. None of the compounds compromised liposome integrity, as revealed by dynamic light scattering. Fluorescence spectroscopy studies revealed changes in the biophysical properties of all membrane models analyzed in the presence of the two complexes, which promoted an increased fluidity and water penetration into the lipid bilayer in the one-component systems. In the quaternary mixtures, one of the complexes had an analogous effect (increasing water penetration), whereas the other complex reorganized the liquid ordered and liquid disordered domains. Thus, small structural differences in the metal ligands may lead to different outcomes. To better understand the effect of these complexes in cancer cells, the membrane dipole potential was also measured. For both Ru complexes, an increase in the dipole potential was observed for the cancer cell membrane model, while no alteration was detected on the non-cancer plasma membrane model. Our results show that the action of the Ru(III) complexes tested involves changes in the biophysical properties of the plasma membrane, and that it also depends on membrane lipid composition, which is frequently altered in cancer cells when compared to their normal counterparts.