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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