A study on the interaction between ibuprofen and bilayer lipid membrane

Electrochemical Investigation of the Stability of Poly-Phosphocholinated Liposomes

Poly[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphorylcholine] liposomes (pMPC liposomes) gained attention during the last few years because of their potential use in treating osteoarthritis. pMPC liposomes that serve as boundary lubricants are intended to restore the natural lubrication properties of articular cartilage. For this purpose, it is important that the liposomes remain intact and do not fuse and spread as a lipid film on the cartilage surface. Here, we investigate the stability of the liposomes and their interaction with two types of solid surfaces, gold and carbon, by using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). With the aid of a hydrophilic species used as an electroactive probe in the solution, the charge transfer characteristics of the electrode surfaces are obtained. Additionally, from EIS, the capacitance characteristics of the surfaces are derived. No decrease of the peak currents and no displacement of the peak potentials to greater overpotentials are observed in the CV experiments. No decrease in the apparent capacitance and increase in the charge transfer resistance is observed in the EIS experiments. On the contrary, all parameters in both CV and EIS do change in the opposite direction. The obtained results confirm that there is only physical adsorption without fusion and spreading of the pMPC liposomes and without the formation of lipid films on the surfaces of both gold and carbon electrodes.

Concentration-dependent mechanism of the binding behavior of ibuprofen to the cell membrane: A molecular dynamic simulation study

Ibuprofen is a commonly used drug for treating headaches, pain, and fever. The lipid bilayer is the primary and most important interface for drugs to interact with biological systems. However, the molecular interactions between ibuprofen and the cell membrane are not well understood. Our findings suggest that the interactions between ibuprofen and the bilayer involve multiple steps and depend on the concentration of the drug. At low concentrations of ibuprofen, it can bind to the surface of the lipid bilayer. The electrostatic and vdW energies of IBU-lipid at 0 ns of the simulation were -22.5 ± 3.2 and -5.9 ± 1.2 kj.mol-1 Fig. 2. In the following, the vdW energy of the IBU-lipid was increased by around -134.6 ± 3.7 kj.mol-1 whereas the electrostatic energy of the IBU-lipid was significantly decreased. This binding is facilitated by electrostatic and vdW interactions between ibuprofen and the head group of lipids. In the second step, ibuprofen is inserted into the lipid bilayer and positioned at the interface between the bilayer and the aqueous phase. In high concentrations of ibuprofen, it moved to the central region of the lipid bilayer. At this concentration, the physical and structural properties of the cell membrane change significantly. Results from the radial distribution function analysis indicate that at low concentrations, ibuprofen molecules are situated close to the head groups of phosphate groups. However, at high concentrations of ibuprofen, these molecules move to the inner side of the lipid bilayer. In addition, our findings indicate that at low concentrations of ibuprofen, these molecules did not significantly alter the physical properties of the cell membrane. In contrast, at high concentrations of ibuprofen, the physical parameters of the hydrocarbon tails, such as thickness, fluidity, and order, changed dramatically. APL parameter for POPC membrane increased slightly to 0.60 and 0.63 nm2 in the presence of low and high concentrations of ibuprofen molecules. The three-step interaction between ibuprofen and the lipid bilayer involves several events, such as the movement of ibuprofen molecules towards the central region of the lipid bilayer and the deformation and alteration of the structural and stability properties of the cell membrane. These effects are observed only at high concentrations of ibuprofen. It appears that the side effects of ibuprofen overdose are related to changes in the properties of the cell membrane and, subsequently, the function of membrane-anchored target proteins.

Label-Free Digital Holotomography Reveals Ibuprofen-Induced Morphological Changes to Red Blood Cells

Understanding the dose-dependent effect of over-the-counter drugs on red blood cells (RBCs) is crucial for hematology and digital pathology. Yet, it is challenging to continuously record the real-time, drug-induced shape changes of RBCs in a label-free manner. Here, we demonstrate digital holotomography (DHTM)-enabled real-time, label-free concentration-dependent and time-dependent monitoring of ibuprofen on RBCs from a healthy donor. The RBCs are segmented based on three-dimensional (3D) and four-dimensional (4D) refractive index tomograms, and their morphological and chemical parameters are retrieved with their shapes classified using machine learning. We directly observed the formation and motion of spicules on the RBC membrane when aqueous solutions of ibuprofen were drop-cast on wet blood, creating rough-membraned echinocyte forms. At low concentrations of 0.25-0.50 mM, the ibuprofen-induced morphological change was transient, but at high concentrations (1-3 mM) the spiculated RBC remained over a period of up to 1.5 h. Molecular simulations confirmed that aggregates of ibuprofen molecules at high concentrations significantly disrupted the RBC membrane structural integrity and lipid order but produced negligible effect at low ibuprofen concentrations. Control experiments on the effect of urea, hydrogen peroxide, and aqueous solutions on RBCs showed zero spicule formation. Our work clarifies the dose-dependent chemical effects on RBCs using label-free microscopes that can be deployed for the rapid detection of overdosage of over-the-counter and prescribed drugs.

Water Maintains the UV-Vis Spectral Features During the Insertion of Anionic Naproxen and Ibuprofen into Model Cell Membranes

UV-vis spectra of anionic ibuprofen and naproxen in a model lipid bilayer of the cell membrane are investigated using computational techniques in combination with a comparative analysis of drug spectra in purely aqueous environments. The simulations aim at elucidating the intricacies behind the negligible changes in the maximum absorption wavelength in the experimental spectra. A set of configurations of the systems constituted by lipid, water, and drugs or just water and drugs are obtained from classical Molecular Dynamics simulations. UV-vis spectra are computed in the framework of atomistic Quantum Mechanical/Molecular Mechanics (QM/MM) approaches together with Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TD-DFT). Our results suggest that the molecular orbitals involved in the electronic transitions are the same, regardless of the chemical environment. A thorough analysis of the contacts between the drug and water molecules reveals that no significant changes in UV-vis spectra are a consequence of ibuprofen and naproxen molecules being permanently microsolvated by water molecules, despite the presence of lipid molecules. Water molecules microsolvate the charged carboxylate group as expected but also microsolvate the aromatic regions of the drugs.

Interactions between DMPC Model Membranes, the Drug Naproxen, and the Saponin β-Aescin

In this study, the interplay among the phospholipid 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) as a model membrane, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug naproxen, and the saponin β-aescin are investigated. The naproxen amount was fixed to 10 mol%, and the saponin amount varies from 0.0 to 1.0 mol%. Both substances are common ingredients in pharmaceutics; therefore, it is important to obtain deeper knowledge of their impact on lipid membranes. The size and properties of the DMPC model membrane upon naproxen and aescin addition were characterized with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS, WAXS), and photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS) in a temperature-dependent study. The interaction of all substances was dependent on the lipid phase state, which itself depends on the lipid's main phase transition temperature Tm. The incorporation of naproxen and aescin distorted the lipid membrane structure and lowers Tm. Below Tm, the DMPC-naproxen-aescin mixtures showed a vesicle structure, and the insertion of naproxen and aescin influenced neither the lipid chain-chain correlation distance nor the membrane thickness. Above Tm, the insertion of both molecules instead induced the formation of correlated bilayers and a decrease in the chain-chain correlation distance. The presented data clearly confirm the interaction of naproxen and aescin with DMPC model membranes. Moreover, the incorporation of both additives into the model membranes is evidenced.

Ring Vibrations to Sense Anionic Ibuprofen in Aqueous Solution as Revealed by Resonance Raman

We unravel the potentialities of resonance Raman spectroscopy to detect ibuprofen in diluted aqueous solutions. In particular, we exploit a fully polarizable quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methodology based on fluctuating charges coupled to molecular dynamics (MD) in order to take into account the dynamical aspects of the solvation phenomenon. Our findings, which are discussed in light of a natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis, reveal that a selective enhancement of the Raman signal due to the normal mode associated with the C-C stretching in the ring, νC=C, can be achieved by properly tuning the incident wavelength, thus facilitating the recognition of ibuprofen in water samples.

Membrane Interaction of Ibuprofen with Cholesterol-Containing Lipid Membranes

Deciphering the membrane interaction of drug molecules is important for improving drug delivery, cellular uptake, and the understanding of side effects of a given drug molecule. For the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen, several studies reported contradictory results regarding the impact of ibuprofen on cholesterol-containing lipid membranes. Here, we investigated membrane localization and orientation as well as the influence of ibuprofen on membrane properties in POPC/cholesterol bilayers using solid-state NMR spectroscopy and other biophysical assays. The presence of ibuprofen disturbs the molecular order of phospholipids as shown by alterations of the ²H and ³¹P-NMR spectra of the lipids, but does not lead to an increased membrane permeability or changes of the phase state of the bilayer. ¹H MAS NOESY NMR results demonstrate that ibuprofen adopts a mean position in the upper chain/glycerol region of the POPC membrane, oriented with its polar carbonyl group towards the aqueous phase. This membrane position is only marginally altered in the presence of cholesterol. A previously reported result that ibuprofen is expelled from the membrane interface in cholesterol-containing DMPC bilayers could not be confirmed.

Temperature dependent self-organization of DMPC membranes promoted by intermediate amounts of the saponin aescin

The plant-derived biosurfactant aescin is naturally present in many plants and is used for treatment of disorders such as varicose veins and inflammation of veins. The hemolytic activity of this saponin is attributed to its interaction with cholesterol in the red blood cell membrane. This work investigates the phase and aggregation behavior of saponin-containing model membranes consisting of the phospholipid 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC). The aescin concentrations studied range from 1 mol% to 7 mol% with respect to the total lipid content. The methods of choice to elucidate the structural picture are small-angle scattering of X-rays (SAXS) and neutrons (SANS) and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). SANS and SAXS revealed that at lower aescin contents vesicular structures are conserved and vesicles tend to aggregate already at aescin contents of around 1 mol%. Aggregation and vesicle deformation effects are found to be stronger when the phospholipids are in the L [Formula: see text] phase. With increasing aescin content, mixed structures, i.e. aggregated and deformed vesicles and solubilized bilayer fragments, are present. This was proven for a sample with 4 mol% aescin by cryo-TEM. An increasing aescin amount leads to membrane decomposition and free standing bilayers which tend to build stacks at high temperature. These stacks are characterized by SAXS using the modified Caillé theory. Analyses and model dependent fitting reveal formation of well-defined structures beginning at 7 mol% aescin.

Propofol adsorption at the air/water interface: a combined vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and neutron reflectometry study

Propofol is an amphiphilic small molecule that strongly influences the function of cell membranes, yet data regarding interfacial properties of propofol remain scarce. Here we consider propofol adsorption at the air/water interface as elucidated by means of vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy (VSFS), neutron reflectometry (NR), and surface tensiometry. VSFS data show that propofol adsorbed at the air/water interface interacts with water strongly in terms of hydrogen bonding and weakly in the proximity of the hydrocarbon parts of the molecule. In the concentration range studied there is almost no change in the orientation adopted at the interface. Data from NR show that propofol forms a dense monolayer with a thickness of 8.4 Å and a limiting area per molecule of 40 Å2, close to the value extracted from surface tensiometry. The possibility that islands or multilayers of propofol form at the air/water interface is therefore excluded as long as the solubility limit is not exceeded. Additionally, measurements of the 1H NMR chemical shifts demonstrate that propofol does not form dimers or multimers in bulk water up to the solubility limit.

Multistep Interactions between Ibuprofen and Lipid Membranes

Ibuprofen (IBU) interacts with phosphatidylcholine membranes in three distinct steps as a function of concentration. In a first step (<10 μM), IBU electrostatically adsorbs to the lipid headgroups and gradually decreases the interfacial potential. This first step helps to facilitate the second step (10-300 μM), in which hydrophobic insertion of the drug occurs. The second step disrupts the packing of the lipid acyl chains and expands the area per lipid. In a final step, above 300 μM IBU, the lipid membrane begins to solubilize, resulting in a detergent-like effect. The results described herein were obtained by a combination of fluorescence binding assays, vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy, and Langmuir monolayer compression experiments. By introducing trimethylammonium-propane, phosphatidylglycerol, and phosphatidylethanolamine lipids as well as cholesterol, we demonstrated that both the chemistry of the lipid headgroups and the packing of lipid acyl chains can substantially influence the interactions between IBU and the membranes. Moreover, different membrane chemistries can alter particular steps in the binding interaction.

Interaction of the Saponin Aescin with Ibuprofen in DMPC Model Membranes

In the present work, we study the interaction of the saponin aescin with the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ibuprofen at concentrations of 1.2-2.5 mM. These amounts are higher than those usually used for medication (10-300 μM) to show possible structures and formulations for orally absorbed drug delivery systems. It is shown how the interaction of both substances, separately or together, alters the thermotropic phase behavior of the 1,2-dimyristoyl- sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) bilayer in the presence of different amounts of aescin, ranging from 20 μM to 1 mM. The methods of choice are differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and additionally wide-angle (WAXS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). We found that these two additives, aescin and ibuprofen, alter the temperature-dependent structural appearance of the DMPC membrane depending on the aescin and drug content. The presence of the saponin and the drug become visible on different length scales, i.e., ranging from a global structural change to inner-membrane interactions. DSC reveals that the drug and saponin alter the cooperativity of the DMPC phase transition in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, there is a significant difference between the drug-containing compared to the drug-free systems. By WAXS, we could resolve that aescin reverses the strong impact of ibuprofen on the diffraction peak of DMPC. Both molecules interact strongly with the phospholipid headgroups. This becomes visible in a changing area per lipid and shifting phase transition to higher temperatures. SAXS experiments reveal that the addition of ibuprofen leads to major morphological changes in the phospholipid bilayer. SAXS experiments performed on representative samples do not only cover the drug-saponin interaction within the bilayer from the structural perspective but also confirm the visually observed macroscopic concentration and temperature-dependent phase behavior. Vesicular shape of extruded samples is conserved at low aescin contents. At intermediate aescin content, aggregation between vesicles occurs, whereby the strength of aggregation is reduced by ibuprofen. At high aescin contents, DMPC bilayers are solubilized. The kind of formed structures depends on temperature and drug content. At low temperature, separated bilayer sheets are formed. Their size increases with ibuprofen in a concentration-dependent manner. At high temperature, the drug-free system reorganizes into stacked sheets. Whereas sheets at 5 mol % ibuprofen close to vesicles, the ones with 10 mol % of the drug increase massively in size. Altogether, ibuprofen was found to rather enhance than inhibit structural and thermotropic membrane modifications induced by the aescin on the DMPC model membrane.

DMPC vesicle structure and dynamics in the presence of low amounts of the saponin aescin

Vesicle shape and bilayer parameters are studied by small-angle X-ray (SAXS) and small-angle neutron (SANS) scattering in the presence of the saponin aescin. Bilayer dynamics is studied by neutron spin-echo (NSE) spectroscopy.

Characterization of interactions of eggPC lipid structures with different biomolecules

In this paper we study the interactions of two biomolecules (ascorbic acid and Annonacin) with a bilayer lipid membrane. Egg yolk phosphatidylcholine (eggPC) liposomes (in crystalline liquid state) were prepared in solutions of ascorbic acid (AA) at different concentration levels. On the other hand, liposomes were doped with Annonacin (Ann), a mono-tetrahydrofuran acetogenin (ACG), which is an effective citotoxic substance. While AA pharmacologic effect and action mechanisms are widely known, those of Ann's are only very recently being studied. Both Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopic techniques were used to study the participation of the main functional groups of the lipid bilayer involved in the membrane-solution interaction. The obtained spectra were comparatively analyzed, studying the spectral bands corresponding to both the hydrophobic and the hydrophilic regions in the lipid bilayer. Electrochemical experiments namely; impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltamperometry (CV) were used as the main characterization techniques to analyse stability and structural changes of a model system of supported EggPC bilayer in connection with its interactions with AA and Ann. At high molar ratios of AA, there is dehydration in both populations of the carbonyl group of the polar head of the lipid. On the other hand, Ann promotes the formation of hydrogen bonds with the carbonyl groups. No interaction between AA and phosphate groups is observed at low and intermediate molar ratios. Ann is expected to be able to induce the dehydration of the phosphate groups without the subsequent formation of H bonds with them. According to the electrochemical analysis, the interaction of AA with the supported lipid membrane does not alter its dielectric properties. This fact can be related to the conservation of structured water of the phosphate groups in the polar heads of the lipid. On the other hand, the incorporation of Ann into the lipid membrane generates an increase in the number of defects while changes the dielectric constant. This, in turn, can be associated with the induced dehydration of the phosphate groups.

Aescin Incorporation and Nanodomain Formation in DMPC Model Membranes

The saponin aescin from the horse chestnut tree is a natural surfactant well-known to self-assemble as oriented-aggregates at fluid interfaces. Using model membranes in the form of lipid vesicles and Langmuir monolayers, we study the mixing properties of aescin with the phase-segregating phospholipid 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-phosphocholine (DMPC). The binary membranes are experimentally studied on different length scales ranging from the lipid headgroup area to the macroscopic scale using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) with binary bilayer vesicles and Langmuir tensiometry (LT) with lipid monolayers spread on the surface of aescin solutions. The binary interaction was found to strongly depend on aescin concentration in two well differentiated concentration regimes. Below 7 mol %, the results reveal phase segregation of nanometer-sized aescin-rich domains in an aescin-poor continuous bilayer. Above this concentration, aescin-aescin interactions dominate, which inhibit vesicle formation but lead to the formation of new membrane aggregates of smaller sizes. From LT studies in monolayers, the interaction of aescin with DMPC was shown to be stronger in the condensed phase than in the liquid expanded phase. Furthermore, a destructuring role was revealed for aescin on phospholipid membranes, similar to the fluidizing effect of cholesterol and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on lipid bilayers.

Quantitative parameters of complexes of tris(1-alkylindol-3-yl)methylium salts with serum albumin: Relevance for the design of drug candidates

Triarylmethane derivatives are extensively investigated as antitumor and antibacterial drug candidates alone and as photoactivatable compounds. In the series of tris(1-alkylindol-3-yl)methylium salts (TIMs) these two activities differed depending on the length of N-alkyl chain, with C4-5 derivatives being the most potent compared to the shorter or longer chain analogs and to the natural compound turbomycin A (no N-substituent). Given that the human serum albumin (HSA) is a major transporter protein with which TIMs can form stable complexes, and that the formation of these complexes might be advantageous for phototoxicity of TIMs we determined the quantitative parameters of TIMs-HSA binding using spectroscopic methods and molecular docking. TIMs bound to HSA (1:1 stoichiometry) altered the protein's secondary structure by changing the α-helix/β-turn ratio. The IIa subdomain (Sudlow site I) is the preferred TIM binding site in HSA as determined in competition experiments with reference drugs ibuprofen and warfarin. The values of binding constants increased with the number of CH2 groups from 0 to 6 and then dropped down for C10 compound, a dependence similar to the one observed for cytocidal potency of TIMs. We tend to attribute this non-linear dependence to an interplay between hydrophobicity and steric hindrance, the two key characteristics of TIMs-HSA complexes calculated in the molecular docking procedure. These structure-activity relationships provide evidence for rational design of TIMs-based antitumor and antimicrobial drugs.

Effect of Modified Phospholipid Bilayers on the Electrochemical Activity of a Membrane-Spanning Conjugated Oligoelectrolyte

The incorporation and electrochemical activity of a conjugated oligoelectrolyte (COE) in model phospholipid bilayers have been characterized using cyclic voltammetry and UV-vis absorption measurements. Several other modifiers were also incorporated into the phospholipid membranes to alter properties such as charge and alkyl chain disorder. Using potassium ferricyanide to measure charge transport, it was observed that bilayers that contained cholic acid, a negatively charged additive that also promotes alkyl chain disorder, had higher COE uptake and charge permeability than unmodified bilayers. In contrast, when the positively charged choline was incorporated, charge permeability decreased and COE uptake was similar to that of unmodified bilayers. The incorporation of cholesterol at low concentrations within the phospholipid membranes was shown to enhance the COE's effectiveness at increasing membrane charge permeability without increasing the COE concentration in the bilayer. Higher concentrations of cholesterol reduce membrane fluidity and membrane charge permeability. Collectively, these results demonstrate that changes in phospholipid membrane charge permeability upon COE incorporation depend not only on the concentration in the membrane but also on interactions with the phospholipid bilayer and other additives present in the membranes. This approach of manipulating the properties of phospholipid membranes to understand COE interactions is applicable to understanding the behavior of a wide range of molecules that impart useful properties to phospholipid membranes.

Cholesterol expels ibuprofen from the hydrophobic membrane core and stabilizes lamellar phases in lipid membranes containing ibuprofen

There is increasing evidence that common drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, interact with lipid membranes. Ibuprofen is one of the most common over the counter drugs in the world, and is used for relief of pain and fever. It interacts with the cyclooxygenase pathway leading to inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis. From X-ray diffraction of highly oriented model membranes containing between 0 and 20 mol% ibuprofen, 20 mol% cholesterol, and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC), we present evidence for a non-specific interaction between ibuprofen and cholesterol in lipid bilayers. At a low ibuprofen concentrations of 2 mol%, three different populations of ibuprofen molecules were found: two in the lipid head group region and one in the hydrophobic membrane core. At higher ibuprofen concentrations of 10 and 20 mol%, the lamellar bilayer structure is disrupted and a lamellar to cubic phase transition was observed. In the presence of 20 mol% cholesterol, ibuprofen (at 5 mol%) was found to be expelled from the membrane core and reside solely in the head group region of the bilayers. 20 mol% cholesterol was found to stabilize lamellar membrane structure and the formation of a cubic phase at 10 and 20 mol% ibuprofen was suppressed. The results demonstrate that ibuprofen interacts with lipid membranes and that the interaction is strongly dependent on the presence of cholesterol.

Electron Transfer of Myoglobin Immobilized in Au Electrodes Modified with a RAFT PMMA-Block-PDMAEMA Polymer

Myoglobin was immobilized with poly(methyl methacrylate)-block-poly[(2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]PMMA-block-PDMAEMA polymer synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer technique (RAFT). Cyclic voltammograms gave direct and slow quasireversible heterogeneous electron transfer kinetics between Mb-PMMA-block-PDMAEMA modified electrode and the redox center of the protein. The values for electron rate constant (Ks) and transfer coefficient (α) were0.055±0.01·s−1and0.81±0.08, respectively. The reduction potential determined as a function of temperature (293–328 K) revealed a value of reaction center entropy ofΔS0of351.3±0.0002 J·mol−1·K−1and enthalpy change of-76.8±0.1 kJ·mol−1, suggesting solvent effects and charge ionization atmosphere involved in the reaction parallel to hydrophobic interactions with the copolymer. The immobilized protein also exhibits an electrocatalytical response to reduction of hydrogen peroxide, with an apparentKmof114.7±58.7 μM. The overall results substantiate the design and use of RAFT polymers towards the development of third-generation biosensors.

Action of Chicory Fructooligosaccharides on Biomimetic Membranes

Fructooligosaccharides from chicory (FOSC) are functional prebiotic foods recognized to exert several well-being effects in human health and animal production, as decreasing blood lipids, modulating the gut immune system, enhancing mineral bioavailability, and inhibiting microbial growth, among others. Mechanisms of actions directly on cell metabolism and structure are however little known. In this sense this work was targeted to investigate the interaction of FOSC with biomimetic membranes (liposomes and supported bilayer membrane; s-BLM) through cyclic voltammetry, impedance spectroscopy, spectrofluorimetry, and microscopy. FOSC was able to disrupt the membrane structure of liposomes and s-BLM from the onset of molecular pores induced on it. The mechanism of interaction of fructans with biomimetic membranes suggests hydrogen bonding between the polyhydroxylated structure of the oligosaccharides and the negative polar group of L-α-phosphatidylcholine (PC) present in both liposomes and s-BLM.

Micellar transitions in catanionic ionic liquid–ibuprofen aqueous mixtures; effects of composition and dilution

Interactions between 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride and ibuprofen molecules in aqueous solution form catanionic mixtures, with morphologies of mixed micelles dependent on solution composition.

Interaction of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with membranes: in vitro assessment and relevance for their biological actions

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most commonly used drugs in the world due to their anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic properties. Nevertheless, the consumption of these drugs is still associated with the occurrence of a wide spectrum of adverse effects. Regarding the major role of membranes in cellular events, the hypothesis that the biological actions of NSAIDs may be related to their effect at the membrane level has triggered the in vitro assessment of NSAIDs-membrane interactions. The use of membrane mimetic models, cell cultures, a wide range of experimental techniques and molecular dynamics simulations has been providing significant information about drugs partition and location within membranes and also about their effect on diverse membrane properties. These studies have indeed been providing evidences that the effect of NSAIDs at membrane level may be an additional mechanism of action and toxicity of NSAIDs. In fact, the pharmacokinetic properties of NSAIDs are closely related to the ability of these drugs to interact and overcome biological membranes. Moreover, the therapeutic actions of NSAIDs may also result from the indirect inhibition of cyclooxygenase due to the disturbing effect of NSAIDs on membrane properties. Furthermore, increasing evidences suggest that the disordering effects of these drugs on membranes may be in the basis of the NSAIDs-induced toxicity in diverse organ systems. Overall, the study of NSAIDs-membrane interactions has proved to be not only important for the better understanding of their pharmacological actions, but also for the rational development of new approaches to overcome NSAIDs adverse effects.

The influence of common metal ions on the interactions of the isoflavone genistein with bovine serum albumin

The interaction of genistein with bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been characterized via UV-vis, fluorescence spectroscopy and Circular Dichroism (CD) measurements under physiological conditions. In this study, we have investigated the effect of some common metal ions on the binding of genistein with BSA using fluorescence studies. The fluorescence data reveal that the binding affinity of genistein to BSA increases in presence of certain metal ions. The possibility of non-radiative energy transition from the donor tryptophan to the acceptor genistein has been observed in absence and presence of metal ions. The observed similarities in the values of efficiency of energy transfer (E) and the separation between the donor and acceptor (r) in both the cases may be correlated with the complexation between the genistein and metal ions, which is also observed from the UV-vis studies. The changes in enthalpy (ΔH°) and entropy (ΔS°) of the interaction were found to be -14.64 kJ mol(-1) and +42.75 J mol(-1)K(-1) respectively. These values indicate the involvement of electrostatic interactions along with a hydrophobic association that results in a positive entropy change. CD analysis shows that there is a slight increase in the% α-helical content of BSA on binding with genistein at lower molar ratios. Warfarin and ibuprofen displacement studies in accordance with the molecular docking show that genistein binds to site I (subdomain IIA) of BSA.

Preferential binding of fisetin to the native state of bovine serum albumin: spectroscopic and docking studies

We have investigated the binding of the biologically important flavonoid fisetin with the carrier protein bovine serum albumin using multi-spectroscopic and molecular docking methods. The binding constants were found to be in the order of 10(4) M(-1) and the number of binding sites was determined as one. MALDI-TOF analyses showed that one fisetin molecule binds to a single bovine serum albumin (BSA) molecule which is also supported by fluorescence quenching studies. The negative Gibbs free energy change (∆G°) values point to a spontaneous binding process which occurs through the presence of electrostatic forces with hydrophobic association that results in a positive entropy change (+51.69 ± 1.18 J mol(-1) K(-1)). The unfolding and refolding of BSA in urea have been studied in absence and presence of fisetin using steady-state fluorescence and lifetime measurements. Urea denaturation studies indicate that fisetin is gradually released from its binding site on the protein. In the absence of urea, an increase in temperature that causes denaturation of the protein results in the release of fisetin from its bound state indicating that fisetin binds only to the native state of the protein. The circular dichroism (CD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic studies showed an increase in % α-helix content of BSA after binding with fisetin. Site marker displacement studies in accordance with the molecular docking results suggested that fisetin binds in close proximity of the hydrophobic cavity in site 1 (subdomain IIA) of the protein. The PEARLS (Program of Energetic Analysis of Receptor Ligand System) has been used to estimate the interaction energy of fisetin with BSA and the results are in good correlation with the experimental findings.

Effects of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug naproxen on human erythrocytes and on cell membrane molecular models

Naproxen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), has been widely investigated in terms of its pharmacological action, but less is known about its effects on cell membranes and particularly those of human erythrocytes. In the present work, the structural effects on the human erythrocyte membrane and molecular models have been investigated. The latter consisted in bilayers built-up of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and dimyristoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DMPE), classes of lipids found in the outer and inner moieties of the erythrocyte and most cell membranes, respectively. This report presents evidence that naproxen interacts with red cell membranes as follows: a) in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies on human erythrocytes it has been observed that the drug induced shape changes, forming echinocytes at a concentration as low as 10microM; b) X-ray diffraction showed that naproxen strongly interacted with DMPC multilayers; in contrast, no perturbing effects on DMPE multilayers were detected; c) differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) data showed a decrease in the melting temperature (T(m)) of DMPC liposomes, which was attributed to a destabilization of the gel phase, effect that was less pronounced for DMPE. These experimental results were observed at concentrations lower than those reported for plasma after therapeutic administration. This is the first time in which the structural effects of naproxen on the human erythrocyte membrane have been described.

Drug interactions with lipid membranes

The field of drug-membrane interactions is one that spans a wide range of scientific disciplines, from synthetic chemistry, through biophysics to pharmacology. Cell membranes are complex dynamic systems whose structures can be affected by drug molecules and in turn can affect the pharmacological properties of the drugs being administered. In this tutorial review we aim to provide a guide for those new to the area of drug-membrane interactions and present an introduction to areas of this topic which need to be considered. We address the lipid composition and structure of the cell membrane and comment on the physical forces present in the membrane which may impact on drug interactions. We outline methods by which drugs may cross or bind to this membrane, including the well understood passive and active transport pathways. We present a range of techniques which may be used to study the interactions of drugs with membranes both in vitro and in vivo and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these techniques and highlight new methods being developed to further this field.

Interactions of ibuprofen with hybrid lipid bilayers probed by complementary surface-enhanced vibrational spectroscopies

The incorporation of small molecules into lipid bilayers is a process of biological importance and clinical relevance that can change the material properties of cell membranes and cause deleterious side effects for certain drugs. Here we report the direct observation, using surface-enhanced Raman and IR spectroscopies (SERS, SEIRA), of the insertion of ibuprofen molecules into hybrid lipid bilayers. The alkanethiol-phospholipid hybrid bilayers were formed onto gold nanoshells by self-assembly, where the underlying nanoshell substrates provided the necessary enhancements for SERS and SEIRA. The spectroscopic data reveal specific interactions between ibuprofen and phospholipid moieties and indicate that the overall hydrophobicity of ibuprofen plays an important role in its intercalation in these membrane mimics.