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Lin Y, Wu X, Wang K, Shang S, Gong Y, Zhao H, Wu D, Zhang P, Lu X. Spectral Characteristics and Functional Responses of Phospholipid Bilayers in the Terahertz Band. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24087111. [PMID: 37108273 PMCID: PMC10138992 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24087111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the vibrational information encoded within the terahertz (THz) spectrum of biomolecules is critical for guiding the exploration of its functional responses to specific THz radiation wavelengths. This study investigated several important phospholipid components of biological membranes-distearoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DSPE), dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC), sphingosine phosphorylcholine (SPH), and lecithin bilayer-using THz time-domain spectroscopy. We observed similar spectral patterns for DPPC, SPH, and the lecithin bilayer, all of which contain the choline group as the hydrophilic head. Notably, the spectrum of DSPE, which has an ethanolamine head group, was different. Interestingly, density functional theory calculations confirmed that the absorption peak common to DSPE and DPPC at approximately 3.0 THz originated from a collective vibration of their similar hydrophobic tails. Accordingly, the cell membrane fluidity of RAW264.7 macrophages with irradiation at 3.1 THz was significantly enhanced, leading to improved phagocytosis. Our results highlight the importance of the spectral characteristics of the phospholipid bilayers when studying their functional responses in the THz band and suggest that irradiation at 3.1 THz is a potential non-invasive strategy to increase the fluidity of phospholipid bilayers for biomedical applications such as immune activation or drug administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyun Lin
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Xingjuan Wu
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Kaicheng Wang
- Medico-Engineering Cooperation on Applied Medicine Research Center, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Sen Shang
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Yubin Gong
- Medico-Engineering Cooperation on Applied Medicine Research Center, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Hongwei Zhao
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201204, China
| | - Dai Wu
- Institute of Applied Electronics, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- Institute of Applied Electronics, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - Xiaoyun Lu
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
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