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Huang HC, Lin CJ, Sheng YJ, Tsao HK. Instability of membranes containing ionizable cationic lipids: Effects of the repulsive range of headgroups and tail structures. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2024; 236:113807. [PMID: 38417348 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2024.113807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
The stability of membranes formed by ionizable cationic lipids, which constitute the primary components in lipid nanoparticles capable of endosomal escape, is explored using coarse-grained dissipative particle dynamics. Three types of ionizable model lipids with different tail structures are considered. Endosome acidification causes the ionization of lipids, leading to an increased repulsive range between their headgroups. When electrostatic repulsion is modeled as a conservative force with a long-range cutoff distance (rc,HH), the membrane and vesicle experience a loss of structural integrity and develop holes as rc,HH is beyond a critical value, which varies with the tail structure. When Coulombic repulsion is explicitly incorporated and intensified, a fully ionized lipid membrane undergoes a loss of structural integrity, displaying a qualitative similarity to the effect observed with the increase in rc,HH on the membrane stability. Qualitatively similar results are obtained for partially ionized membranes as the fraction of charged lipids increases. The stability of a mixed lipid membrane containing both ionizable and conventional lipids is also investigated. The disruption of the bilayer structure occurs for a sufficiently high charged fraction. The membrane instability can be attributed to the decrease in the packing parameter, which significantly deviates from unity as the interaction range increases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao-Chun Huang
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National Central University, Jhongli 320, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Jung Lin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Jane Sheng
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
| | - Heng-Kwong Tsao
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National Central University, Jhongli 320, Taiwan.
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2
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Zhang H, Pan F, Li S. Self-Assembly of Lipid Molecules under Shear Flows: A Dissipative Particle Dynamics Simulation Study. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1359. [PMID: 37759759 PMCID: PMC10526246 DOI: 10.3390/biom13091359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The self-assembly of lipid molecules in aqueous solution under shear flows was investigated using the dissipative particle dynamics simulation method. Three cases were considered: zero shear flow, weak shear flow and strong shear flow. Various self-assembled structures, such as double layers, perforated double layers, hierarchical discs, micelles, and vesicles, were observed. The self-assembly behavior was investigated in equilibrium by constructing phase diagrams based on chain lengths. Results showed the remarkable influence of chain length, shear flow and solution concentration on the self-assembly process. Furthermore, the self-assembly behavior of lipid molecules was analyzed using the system energy, particle number and shape factor during the dynamic processes, where the self-assembly pathways were observed and analyzed for the typical structures. The results enhance our understanding of biomacromolecule self-assembly in a solution and hold the potential for applications in biomedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Zhang
- Department of Physics, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Fan Pan
- School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Wenzhou University of Technology, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Shiben Li
- Department of Physics, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
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3
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Tseng YC, Chang HY, Sheng YJ, Tsao HK. Atypical vesicles and membranes with monolayer and multilayer structures formed by graft copolymers with diblock side-chains: nonlamellar structures and curvature-enhanced permeability. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:7559-7568. [PMID: 36164856 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01055k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Graft copolymers with diblock side-chains Am(-graft-B3Ay)n in a selective solvent have been reported to self-assemble into vesicles, but the structure is expected to differ distinctly from those of lipid bilayers. Surprisingly, the number of alternating hydrophobic A-block and hydrophilic B-block layers in the vesicle can vary from a monolayer to multilayers such as the hepta-layer, subject to the same copolymer concentration. The area density of the copolymer layer is not uniform across the membrane. This structural difference among different layers is attributed to the neighboring environment and the curvature of the layer. Because of the unusual polymer conformations, nonlamellar structures of polymersomes are formed, and they are much more intricate than those of liposomes. In fact, a copolymer can contribute to a single or two hydrophilic layers, and it can provide up to three hydrophobic layers. The influence of the backbone length (m) and side-chain length (y) and the permeation dynamics are also studied. The thickness of hydrophobic layers is found to increase with increasing side-chain length but is not sensitive to the backbone length. Although the permeation time increases with the layer number for planar membranes, the opposite behavior is observed for spherical vesicles owing to the curvature-enhanced permeability associated with Laplace pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueh-Chi Tseng
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National Central University, Jhongli 320, Taiwan.
| | - Hsin-Yu Chang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
| | - Yu-Jane Sheng
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
| | - Heng-Kwong Tsao
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National Central University, Jhongli 320, Taiwan.
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Chen Y, Wang Z, Ji Y, He L, Wang X, Li S. Asymmetric Lipid Membranes under Shear Flows: A Dissipative Particle Dynamics Study. MEMBRANES 2021; 11:655. [PMID: 34564472 PMCID: PMC8465239 DOI: 10.3390/membranes11090655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
We investigate the phase behavior of the asymmetric lipid membranes under shear flows, using the dissipative particle dynamics simulation. Two cases, the weak and strong shear flows, are considered for the asymmetric lipid microstructures. Three typical asymmetric structures, the membranes, tubes, and vesicle, are included in the phase diagrams, where the effect of two different types of lipid chain length on the formation of asymmetric membranes is evaluated. The dynamic processes are demonstrated for the asymmetric membranes by calculating the average radius of gyration and shape factor. The result indicates that different shear flows will affect the shape of the second type of lipid molecules; the shape of the first type of lipid molecules is more stable than that of the second type of lipid molecules. The mechanical properties are investigated for the asymmetric membranes by analyzing the interface tension. The results reveal an absolute pressure at the junctions of different types of particles under the weak shear flow; the other positions are almost in a state of no pressure; there is almost no pressure inside the asymmetric lipid membrane structure under the strong shear flow. The findings will help us to understand the potential applications of asymmetric lipid microstructures in the biological and medical fields.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Shiben Li
- Department of Physics, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China; (Y.C.); (Z.W.); (Y.J.); (L.H.); (X.W.)
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Nishimura T, Fujii S, Sakurai K, Sasaki Y, Akiyoshi K. Manipulating the Morphology of Amphiphilic Graft-Copolymer Assemblies by Adjusting the Flexibility of the Main Chain. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c01030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tomoki Nishimura
- Department of Chemistry and Materials, Faculty of Textile Science and Technology, Shinshu University, 3-15-1, Tokida, Ueda, Nagano 386-8567, Japan
| | - Shota Fujii
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Kitakyushu, 1-1, Hibikino, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 808-0135, Japan
| | - Kazuo Sakurai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Kitakyushu, 1-1, Hibikino, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 808-0135, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Sasaki
- Department of Polymer Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan
| | - Kazunari Akiyoshi
- Department of Polymer Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan
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Li S, Yu C, Zhou Y. Computational design of Janus polymersomes with controllable fission from double emulsions. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:24934-24942. [PMID: 33135025 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp04561f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Janus polymer vesicles (polymersomes) with biphasic membranes have special properties and potential applications in many fields. The big barrier for the preparation of Janus polymersomes lies in the difficulty of complete lateral microphase separation of polymers along the vesicle membrane due to the limited mobility. Herein, we present a systematic simulation study to provide a new strategy for the fabrication of Janus polymersomes based on water-in-oil-in-water double emulsions. Two incompatible block copolymers of AB and AC completely separate into two hemispheres of the polymersome driven by the dewetting of double emulsions, followed by the stabilization of the Janus structure with the block copolymers BC at the interface between AB and AC hemispheres. The simulation results demonstrate the formation of Janus polymersomes in a wide range of the incompatibility between blocks B and C. In addition, the morphologies of the Janus polymersomes can be readily regulated by changing the number of copolymers BC, the ratio of AB to AC, and the dewetting rate of organic solvents. Both the Janus and patchy polymersomes can be obtained through the adjustment of the dewetting rate. Besides, by introducing stimulus-cleavable copolymers of BC, the Janus polymersomes can perform controllable fission. Further comparison with similar experiments has also demonstrated the feasibility of our strategy. We believe the present work will be useful for the fabrication of polymersomes with controlled patches in a large quantity, and the stimulus-responsive fission process will also make the polymersomes promising in some applications like controlled drug delivery and cytomimetic membrane communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanlong Li
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
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Shan Y, Ji Y, Wang X, He L, Li S. Predicting asymmetric phospholipid microstructures in solutions. RSC Adv 2020; 10:24521-24532. [PMID: 35516199 PMCID: PMC9055179 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra03732j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Asymmetric phospholipid microstructures, such as asymmetric phospholipid membranes, have potential applications in biological and medicinal processes. Here, we used the dissipative particle dynamics simulation method to predict the asymmetric phospholipid microstructures in aqueous solutions. The asymmetric phospholipid membranes, tubes and vesicles are determined and characterized by the chain density distributions and order parameters. The phase diagrams are constructed to evaluate the effects of the chain length on the asymmetric structure formations at equilibrium states, while the average radius of gyration and shape factors are calculated to analyze the asymmetric structure formations in the non-equilibrium processes. Meanwhile, we predicted the mechanical properties of the asymmetric membranes by analyzing the spatial distributions of the interface tensions and osmotic pressures in solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Shan
- Department of Physics, Wenzhou University Wenzhou Zhejiang 325035 China
| | - Yongyun Ji
- Department of Physics, Wenzhou University Wenzhou Zhejiang 325035 China
| | - Xianghong Wang
- Department of Physics, Wenzhou University Wenzhou Zhejiang 325035 China
| | - Linli He
- Department of Physics, Wenzhou University Wenzhou Zhejiang 325035 China
| | - Shiben Li
- Department of Physics, Wenzhou University Wenzhou Zhejiang 325035 China
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Chu KC, Tsao HK, Sheng YJ. Pressure-gated capillary nanovalves based on liquid nanofilms. J Colloid Interface Sci 2020; 560:485-491. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2019.10.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/20/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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10
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Yang YL, Tsao HK, Sheng YJ. Morphology and Wetting Stability of Nanofilms of ABC Miktoarm Star Terpolymers. Macromolecules 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b02621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Ling Yang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan 106, R.O.C
| | - Heng-Kwong Tsao
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering and Department of Physics, National Central University, Jhongli, Taiwan 320, R.O.C
| | - Yu-Jane Sheng
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan 106, R.O.C
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11
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Chu KC, Hu SW, Tsao HK, Sheng YJ. Strong competition between adsorption and aggregation of surfactant in nanoscale systems. J Colloid Interface Sci 2019; 553:674-681. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2019.06.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Revised: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/23/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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12
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Yang YL, Sheng YJ, Tsao HK. Hybridization of lipids to monolayer and bilayer membranes of triblock copolymers. J Colloid Interface Sci 2019; 544:53-60. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2019.02.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Revised: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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13
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Yang YL, Sheng YJ, Tsao HK. Bilayered membranes of Janus dendrimers with hybrid hydrogenated and fluorinated dendrons: microstructures and coassembly with lipids. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:15400-15407. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cp01635j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
A biomimetic membrane formed by hybrid Janus dendrimers (JDs) which contain hydrogenated and fluorinated dendrons was explored by dissipative particle dynamics simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Ling Yang
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- National Taiwan University
- Taipei 106
- Taiwan
| | - Yu-Jane Sheng
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- National Taiwan University
- Taipei 106
- Taiwan
| | - Heng-Kwong Tsao
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
- National Central University
- Jhongli 320
- Taiwan
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14
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Buzzacchera I, Xiao Q, Han H, Rahimi K, Li S, Kostina NY, Toebes BJ, Wilner SE, Möller M, Rodriguez-Emmenegger C, Baumgart T, Wilson DA, Wilson CJ, Klein ML, Percec V. Screening Libraries of Amphiphilic Janus Dendrimers Based on Natural Phenolic Acids to Discover Monodisperse Unilamellar Dendrimersomes. Biomacromolecules 2018; 20:712-727. [PMID: 30354069 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.8b01405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Natural, including plant, and synthetic phenolic acids are employed as building blocks for the synthesis of constitutional isomeric libraries of self-assembling dendrons and dendrimers that are the simplest examples of programmed synthetic macromolecules. Amphiphilic Janus dendrimers are synthesized from a diversity of building blocks including natural phenolic acids. They self-assemble in water or buffer into vesicular dendrimersomes employed as biological membrane mimics, hybrid and synthetic cells. These dendrimersomes are predominantly uni- or multilamellar vesicles with size and polydispersity that is predicted by their primary structure. However, in numerous cases, unilamellar dendrimersomes completely free of multilamellar assemblies are desirable. Here, we report the synthesis and structural analysis of a library containing 13 amphiphilic Janus dendrimers containing linear and branched alkyl chains on their hydrophobic part. They were prepared by an optimized iterative modular synthesis starting from natural phenolic acids. Monodisperse dendrimersomes were prepared by injection and giant polydisperse by hydration. Both were structurally characterized to select the molecular design principles that provide unilamellar dendrimersomes in higher yields and shorter reaction times than under previously used reaction conditions. These dendrimersomes are expected to provide important tools for synthetic cell biology, encapsulation, and delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Buzzacchera
- Roy & Diana Vagelos Laboratories, Department of Chemistry , University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania 19104-6323 , United States.,DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials , RWTH Aachen University , 52074 Aachen , Germany.,NovioSense B.V. , Transistorweg 5 , 6534 AT Nijmegen , The Netherlands
| | - Qi Xiao
- Roy & Diana Vagelos Laboratories, Department of Chemistry , University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania 19104-6323 , United States.,Institute of Computational Molecular Science , Temple University , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania 19122 , United States
| | - Hong Han
- Roy & Diana Vagelos Laboratories, Department of Chemistry , University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania 19104-6323 , United States
| | - Khosrow Rahimi
- DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials , RWTH Aachen University , 52074 Aachen , Germany.,Institute of Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry , RWTH Aachen University , 52074 Aachen , Germany
| | - Shangda Li
- Roy & Diana Vagelos Laboratories, Department of Chemistry , University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania 19104-6323 , United States
| | - Nina Yu Kostina
- DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials , RWTH Aachen University , 52074 Aachen , Germany.,Institute of Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry , RWTH Aachen University , 52074 Aachen , Germany
| | - B Jelle Toebes
- Institute of Molecules and Materials , Radboud University , Heyendaalseweg 135 , 6525 AJ Nijmegen , The Netherlands
| | - Samantha E Wilner
- Roy & Diana Vagelos Laboratories, Department of Chemistry , University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania 19104-6323 , United States
| | - Martin Möller
- DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials , RWTH Aachen University , 52074 Aachen , Germany.,Institute of Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry , RWTH Aachen University , 52074 Aachen , Germany
| | - Cesar Rodriguez-Emmenegger
- DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials , RWTH Aachen University , 52074 Aachen , Germany.,Institute of Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry , RWTH Aachen University , 52074 Aachen , Germany
| | - Tobias Baumgart
- Roy & Diana Vagelos Laboratories, Department of Chemistry , University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania 19104-6323 , United States
| | - Daniela A Wilson
- Institute of Molecules and Materials , Radboud University , Heyendaalseweg 135 , 6525 AJ Nijmegen , The Netherlands
| | | | - Michael L Klein
- Institute of Computational Molecular Science , Temple University , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania 19122 , United States
| | - Virgil Percec
- Roy & Diana Vagelos Laboratories, Department of Chemistry , University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania 19104-6323 , United States
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