Alcohol Interactions with Lipid Bilayers

Investigating the cut-off effect of n-alcohols on lipid movement: a biophysical study

Cellular membranes are responsible for absorbing the effects of external perturbants for the cell's survival. Such perturbants include small ubiquitous molecules like n-alcohols which were observed to exhibit anesthetic capabilities, with this effect tapering off at a cut-off alcohol chain length. To explain this cut-off effect and complement prior biochemical studies, we investigated a series of n-alcohols (with carbon lengths 2-18) and their impact on several bilayer properties, including lipid flip-flop, intervesicular exchange, diffusion, membrane bending rigidity and more. To this end, we employed an array of biophysical techniques such as time-resolved small angle neutron scattering (TR-SANS), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), all atomistic and coarse-grained molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and calcein leakage assays. At an alcohol concentration of 30 mol% of the overall lipid content, TR-SANS showed 1-hexanol (C6OH) increased transverse lipid diffusion, i.e. flip-flop. As alcohol chain length increased from C6 to C10 and longer, lipid flip-flop slowed by factors of 5.6 to 32.2. Intervesicular lipid exchange contrasted these results with only a slight cut-off at alcohol concentrations of 30 mol% but not 10 mol%. SAXS, MD simulations, and leakage assays revealed changes to key bilayer properties, such as bilayer thickness and fluidity, that correlate well with the effects on lipid flip-flop rates. Finally, we tie our results to a defect-mediated pathway for alcohol-induced lipid flip-flop.

Identification of novel cyanoacrylate monomers for use in nanoparticle drug delivery systems prepared by miniemulsion polymerisation - A multistep screening approach

Poly (alkyl cyanoacrylate) (PACA) polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) are promising drug carriers in drug delivery. However, the selection of commercially available alkyl cyanoacrylate (ACA) monomers is limited, because most monomers were designed for use in medical and industrial glues and later repurposed for drug encapsulation. This study therefore aimed to seek out novel ACA materials for use in NP systems using a toxicity led screening approach. A multistep strategy, including cytotoxicity screening of alcohols as degradation products of PACA (44 alcohols), NPs (14 polymers), and a final in vivo study (2 polymers) gave poly (2-ethylhexyl cyanoacrylate) PEHCA as a promising novel PACA candidate. For the first time, this work presents cytotoxicity data on several novel ACAs, PEHCA in vivo toxicity data, and miniemulsion polymerisation-based encapsulation of the cabazitaxel and NR688 in novel PACA candidates. Furthermore, several of the ACA candidates were compatible with a wider selection of lipophilic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) versus commercially available controls. Combined, this work demonstrates the potential benefits of expanding the array of available ACA materials in drug delivery. Novel ACAs have the potential to encapsulate a wider range of APIs in miniemulsion polymerisation processes and may also broaden PACA applicability in other fields.

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Screening of novel poly(alkylcyanoacrylate) (PACA) materials to broaden PACA nanomedicine potential.

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A comprehensive screening process evaluated the toxicity of novel poly(alkylcyanoacrylate) (PACA) materials.

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Novel poly(2-ethylhexyl cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles has a promising safety profile.

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Novel ACA materials show potential to enable encapsulation of a wider range of APIs.

Blood Vessels as a Key Mediator for Ethanol Toxicity: Implication for Neuronal Damage

Excessive intake of ethanol is associated with severe brain dysfunction, and the subsequent neurological and behavioral abnormalities are well-established social risks. Many research studies have addressed how ethanol induces neurological toxicity. However, the underlying mechanisms with which ethanol induces neurological toxicity are still obscure, perhaps due to the variety and complexity of these mechanisms. Epithelial cells are in direct contact with blood and can thus mediate ethanol neurotoxicity. Ethanol activates the endothelial cells of blood vessels, as well as lymphatic vessels, in a concentration-dependent manner. Among various signaling mediators, nitric oxide plays important roles in response to ethanol. Endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthases (eNOS and iNOS) are upregulated and activated by ethanol and enhance neuroinflammation. On the other hand, angiogenesis and blood vessel remodeling are both affected by ethanol intake, altering blood supply and releasing angiocrine factors to regulate neuronal functions. Thus, ethanol directly acts on endothelial cells, yet the molecular target(s) on endothelial cells remain unknown. Previous studies on neurons and glial cells have validated the potential contribution of membrane lipids and some specific proteins as ethanol targets, which may also be the case in endothelial cells. Future studies, based on current knowledge, will allow for a greater understanding of the contribution and underlying mechanisms of endothelial cells in ethanol-induced neurological toxicity, protecting neurological health against ethanol toxicity.

Actin protein inside DMPC GUVs and its mechanical response to AC electric fields

Cells are dynamic systems with complex mechanical properties, regulated by the presence of different species of proteins capable to assemble (and disassemble) into filamentous forms as required by different cells functions. Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) of DMPC (1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) are systems frequently used as a simplified model of cells because they offer the possibility of assaying separately different stimuli, which is no possible in living cells. Here we present a study of the effect of acting protein on mechanical properties of GUVs, when the protein is inside the vesicles in either monomeric G-actin or filamentous F-actin. For this, rabbit skeletal muscle G-actin is introduced inside GUVs by the electroformation method. Protein polymerization inside the GUVs is promoted by adding to the solution MgCl₂ and the ion carrier A23187 to allow the transport of Mg⁺² ions into the GUVs. To determine how the presence of actin changes the mechanical properties of GUVs, the vesicles are deformed by the application of an AC electric field in both cases with G-actin and with polymerized F-actin. The changes in shape of the vesicles are characterized by optical microscopy and from them the bending stiffness of the membrane are determined. It is found that G-actin has no appreciable effect on the bending stiffness of DMPC GUVs, but the polymerized actin makes the vesicles more rigid and therefore more resistant to deformations. This result is supported by evidence that actin filaments tend to accumulate near the membrane.

Ethanol Inactivation of Enveloped Viruses: Structural and Surface Chemistry Insights into Phi6

Lipid-enveloped viruses, such as Ebola, influenza, or coronaviruses, are a major threat to human health. Ethanol is an efficient disinfectant that is widely used to inactivate these viruses and prevent their transmission. However, the interactions between ethanol and enveloped viruses leading to their inactivation are not yet fully understood. This study demonstrates the link between ethanol-induced viral inactivation and the nanostructural and chemical transformations of the model virus Phi6, an 85 nm diameter lipid-enveloped bacterial virus that is commonly used as surrogate for human pathogenic viruses. The virus morphology was investigated using small-angle X-ray scattering and dynamic light scattering and was related to its infectivity. The Phi6's surface chemistry was characterized by cryogenic X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the modifications in protein structure were assessed by circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy. Ethanol-triggered structural modifications were found in the lipid envelope, detaching from the protein capsid and forming coexisting nanostructures.

Cholesterol sequestration by xenon nano bubbles leads to lipid raft destabilization

Combined coarse-grained (CG) and atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to study the interactions of xenon with model lipid rafts consisting of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC), 1,2-dilauroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DLPC) and cholesterol (Chol). At a concentration of 2 Xe/lipid we observed an unexpected result: spontaneous nucleation of Xe nano bubbles which rapidly plunged into the bilayer. In this process Chol, essential for raft stabilization, was pulled out from the raft into the hydrophobic zone. When concentration was further increased (3 Xe/lipid), the bubbles increase in size and disrupted both the membrane and raft. We computed the radial distribution functions, pair-wise potentials, second virial coefficients and Schlitter entropy to scrutinize the nature of the interactions. Our findings, concurring with a recent report on the origin of general anaesthesia (M. A. Pavel, E. N. Petersen, H. Wang, R. A. Lerner and S. B. Hansen, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 2020, 117(24), 13757-13766), suggest that the well-known anaesthetic effect of Xe could be mediated by sequestration of Chol, which, in turn, compromises the stability of rafts where specialized proteins needed to produce the nervous signal are anchored.

Effect of alcohol on the phase separation in model membranes

The discovery of coexisting liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered phases in multicomponent lipid bilayers has received widespread attention due to its potential relevance for biological systems. One of the many open questions is how the presence of additional components affects the nature of the coexisting phases. Of particular interest is the addition of alcohols because their anesthetic properties may arise from modulating bilayer behavior. We use coarse-grained Molecular Dynamics simulations to gain insight into the partitioning preferences of linear n-alcohols into ordered and disordered bilayers alongside their effects on local membrane structure. We find that alcohols cause only small changes to membrane composition alongside a lack of significant effects on membrane thickness and lipid tail order. Cholesterol and n-alcohol trans-bilayer motion is measured and found to be near or within the range of previous atomistic results. The cholesterol flip-flop rates increase with both n-alcohol length and concentration for octanol, dodecanol, and hexadecanol, indicating a decrease in lipid order. Umbrella sampling simulations of removing cholesterol from tertiary membranes find no significant difference with or without n-alcohols at various concentrations. Simulations of a phase-separated bilayer show that octanol preferentially partitions into the liquid-disordered phase in a ratio of approximately 3:1 over the liquid-ordered phase. Furthermore, partition coefficients of alcohol in single-phase membranes show a preference for longer alcohols (dodecanol and hexadecanol) to partition preferentially into the liquid-ordered phase, while decreasing the length of the alcohol reverses this trend. Our work tests experimental results while also investigating the ability for coarse-grained MARTINI simulations to capture minute differences in model membrane spatial arrangements on the nanoscale level.

Fluid-fluid coexistence in phospholipid membranes induced by decanol

We have observed fluid-fluid coexistence in 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) membrane containing 1-decanol, using different experimental techniques and membrane morphologies. This phase behavior is reversible and occurs over a temperature range just above the chain melting transition temperature of the membrane. Although earlier experimental studies and computer simulations have shown the ability of decanol to enhance lipid chain ordering, its potential to induce fluid-fluid coexistence in membranes has not been hitherto recognized. Being the only binary membrane system known so far to exhibit fluid-fluid coexistence, the present system can serve as a simple model to gain a better understanding of mechanisms that drive this unusual phase behavior, which is believed to play an important role in the functioning of cell membranes.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Small Molecules Interacting with Biological Membranes

Cell membranes protect and compartmentalise cells and their organelles. The semi-permeable nature of these membranes controls the exchange of solutes across their structure. Characterising the interaction of small molecules with biological membranes is critical to understanding of physiological processes, drug action and permeation, and many biotechnological applications. This review provides an overview of how molecular simulations are used to study the interaction of small molecules with biological membranes, with a particular focus on the interactions of water, organic compounds, drugs and short peptides with models of plasma cell membrane and stratum corneum lipid bilayers. This review will not delve on other types of membranes which might have different composition and arrangement, such as thylakoid or mitochondrial membranes. The application of unbiased molecular dynamics simulations and enhanced sampling methods such as umbrella sampling, metadynamics and replica exchange are described using key examples. This review demonstrates how state-of-the-art molecular simulations have been used successfully to describe the mechanism of binding and permeation of small molecules with biological membranes, as well as associated changes to the structure and dynamics of these membranes. The review concludes with an outlook on future directions in this field.

Atomistic and coarse-grained simulations of membrane proteins: A practical guide

Membrane proteins are amphipathic macromolecules whose exposed hydrophobic surfaces promote interactions with lipid membranes. Membrane proteins are remarkably diverse in terms of chemical composition and correspondingly, their biological functions and general biophysical behavior. Conventional experimental techniques provide an approach to study specific properties of membrane proteins e.g. their surface features, the nature and abundance of stabilizing intramolecular forces, preferred bilayer orientation, and the characteristics of their annular lipid shells. Molecular modeling software-and in particular, the suite of molecular dynamics algorithms-enables a more comprehensive exploration of dynamic membrane protein behavior. Molecular dynamics methods enable users to produce stepwise trajectories of proteins on arbitrary spatiotemporal scales that enable the easy identification of dynamic interactions that are beyond the scope of conventional analytical techniques. This article explains the molecular dynamics theoretical framework and popular step-by-step approaches for simulating membrane proteins in planar, and to a lesser extent, nonplanar lipid geometries. We detail popular procedures and computational tools that produce well-packed configurations of lipids and proteins and additionally, the efficient molecular dynamics simulation algorithms that reproduce their dynamic interactions.

Martini Coarse-Grained Model for Clay-Polymer Nanocomposites

We have developed a coarse-grained (CG) model of a polymer-clay system consisting of organically modified montmorillonite (oMMT) nanoclay as the nanoparticle in accordance with the MARTINI force field. We have used mechanical properties and cleavage free energy of the clay particle to respectively parameterize bonded and nonbonded interaction parameters for an oMMT clay particle, where intergallery Na⁺ ions are replaced by tetramethylammonium (TMA) ions. The mechanical properties were determined from the slope of the stress-strain curve and cleavage free energy was determined by allowing for full surface reconstruction corresponding to a slow equilibrium cleavage process. Individual dispersive and polar contributions to oMMT cleavage energy were used for determination of appropriate MARTINI bead types for the CG oMMT sheet. The self-consistency of the developed MARTINIFF parameters for the TMA-montmorillonite-polymer system was verified by comparing estimates for select structural, thermodynamic, and dynamic properties obtained in all-atomistic simulations with that obtained in CG simulations. We have determined the influence of clay particles on properties of three polymer melts (polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene) at two temperatures to establish transferability of the developed parameters. We have also shown that the effect of clay-polymer interactions on structure-property relationships in the polymer-clay nanocomposite system is well captured by Rosenfeld's excess entropy scaling.

Effects of gabergic phenols on the dynamic and structure of lipid bilayers: A molecular dynamic simulation approach

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate and invertebrate nervous system. GABAA receptors are activated by GABA and their agonists, and modulated by a wide variety of recognized drugs, including barbiturates, anesthetics, and benzodiazepines. The phenols propofol, thymol, chlorothymol, carvacrol and eugenol act as positive allosteric modulators on GABAA-R receptor. These GABAergic phenols interact with the lipid membrane, therefore, their anesthetic activity could be the combined result of their specific activity (with receptor proteins) as well as nonspecific interactions (with surrounding lipid molecules) modulating the supramolecular organization of the receptor environment. Therefore, we aimed to contribute to a description of the molecular events that occur at the membrane level as part of the mechanism of general anesthesia, using a molecular dynamic simulation approach. Equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the presence of GABAergic phenols in a DPPC bilayer orders lipid acyl chains for carbons near the interface and their effect is not significant at the bilayer center. Phenols interacts with the polar interface of phospholipid bilayer, particularly forming hydrogen bonds with the glycerol and phosphate group. Also, potential of mean force calculations using umbrella sampling show that propofol partition is mainly enthalpic driven at the polar region and entropic driven at the hydrocarbon chains. Finally, potential of mean force indicates that propofol partition into a gel DPPC phase is not favorable. Our in silico results were positively contrasted with previous experimental data.

Application of small-angle neutron diffraction to the localization of general anesthetics in model membranes

We set out to explore the applicability of small-angle neutron diffraction (SAND) to the localization of biomembrane components by studying the general anesthetic n-decane in a model lipid bilayer system composed of dioleoyl-phosphocholine (DOPC). Samples in the form of planar membrane multilayers were hydrated by varied mixtures of deuterated and protonated water, and examined by the means of SAND. Neutron scattering length density (NSLD) profiles of the system were then reconstructed from the experimental data. We exploited the significantly different neutron scattering properties of hydrogen and deuterium atoms via labeling in addition to water contrast variation. Enhancing the signals from particular components of bilayer system led to a set of characteristic membrane profiles and from their comparison we localized n-decane molecules unequivocally in the bilayer's hydrocarbon chain region.

Therapeutic potential of PACAP in alcohol toxicity

Alcohol addiction is a worldwide concern as its detrimental effects go far beyond the addicted individual and can affect the entire family as well as the community. Considerable effort is being expended in understanding the neurobiological basis of such addiction in hope of developing effective prevention and/or intervention strategies. In addition, organ damage and neurotoxicological effects of alcohol are intensely investigated. Pharmacological approaches, so far, have only provided partial success in prevention or treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) including the neurotoxicological consequences of heavy drinking. Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is an endogenous 38 amino-acid neuropeptide with demonstrated protection against neuronal injury, trauma as well as various endogenous and exogenous toxic agents including alcohol. In this mini-review, following a brief presentation of alcohol addiction and its neurotoxicity, the potential of PACAP as a therapeutic intervention in toxicological consequences of this devastating disorder is discussed.

Effect of polyols on the DMPC lipid monolayers and bilayers

In this study, the effect of polyols, erythritol, xylitol, mannitol, on a model membrane systems composed of DMPC was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Generally, it is considered that polyols possess strong hydrophilic properties, and either does not interact with the hydrophobic environment at all, or these interactions are very weak. To better understand the mutual interactions between polyols and the lipid system, the Langmuir technique was used to examine the molecular organization of monolayers and to calculate their thickness in the presence of polyols at the subphase. The detailed description of the interactions between polyols and DMPC molecules was complemented by the analysis of the morphology of monolayers with the application of Brewster angle microscopy. From ATR FTIR, the significant spectral shift is observed only for the PO₂^- stretching band, which correlates strongly with the polyol chain-length. The longer the polyol chain, the weaker the observed interactions with lipid molecules. The most important findings, obtained from thickness measurements, reveal that short-chain polyols may prevent the formation of bilayers by the DMPC molecules under high surface pressure. The changes in the organization of DMPC monolayers on the surface, as visualized by Brewster angle microscopy, showed that the domains observed for phospholipid film spread on pure water differ substantially from those containing polyols in the subphase.