Thermotropic behavior of phosphatidylcholine-glucosyl ceramide mixtures: Effects of phospholipid acyl chain composition and interaction with water

Diana Bach, Israel R. Miller, Yechezkel Barenholz*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

The thermotropic behavior of multilamellar vesicles composed of mixtures of dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine-glucosyl ceramide and of egg phosphatidylcholine-glucosyl ceramide was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry. Macroscopic demixing of the lipid components occurred when multilamellar vesicles were prepared from mixtures of glucosyl ceramide and egg phosphatidylcholine by conventional methods. This problem was overcome by a technique based on spray drying of the lipid mixture. The results obtained for the two systems are compared with data available for dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine-glucosyl ceramide mixtures (Biochemistry 22 (1983) 3497-3501). All three phosphatidylcholines perturb the complex thermotropic behavior of glucosyl ceramide. The data suggest that the interference with intermolecular interactions among glycosyl ceramide molecules by phospholipid molecules is related to the molecular miscibility of the two components. This is strongly dependent on the acyl chain composition of the phosphatidylcholine and the water activity of the ambient aqueous phase.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)77-86
Number of pages10
JournalBiophysical Chemistry
Volume47
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1993

Keywords

  • Differential scanning calorimetry
  • Gaucher's disease
  • Glucosyl ceramide-phosphatidylcholine
  • Liposomes
  • Phase transition and separation
  • Thermotropic behavior

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