Molecular organization of surfactin-phospholipid monolayers: Effect of phospholipid chain length and polar head

in Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Biomembranes (2007), 1768(7), 1758-1768

Mixed monolayers of the surface-active lipopeptide surfactin-C-15 and various lipids differing by their chain length (DMPC, DPPC, DSPC) and polar headgroup (DPPC, DPPE, DPPS) were investigated by atomic ... [more ▼]

Mixed monolayers of the surface-active lipopeptide surfactin-C-15 and various lipids differing by their chain length (DMPC, DPPC, DSPC) and polar headgroup (DPPC, DPPE, DPPS) were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) in combination with molecular modeling (Hypermatrix procedure) and surface pressure-area isotherms. In the presence of surfactin, AFM topographic images showed phase separation for each surfactin-phospholipid system except for surfactin-DMPC, which was in good agreement with compression isotherms. On the basis of domain shape and line tension theory, we conclude that the miscibility between surfactin and phospholipids is higher for shorter chain lengths (DMPC > DPPC > DSPC) and that the polar headgroup of phospholipids influences the miscibility of surfactin in the order DPPC > DPPE > DPPS. Molecular modeling data show that mixing surfactin and DPPC has a destabilizing effect on DPPC monolayer while it has a stabilizing effect towards DPPE and DPPS molecular interactions. Our results provide valuable information on the activity mechanism of surfactin and may be useful for the design of surfactin delivery systems. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. [less ▲]

Nanoscale Properties Of Mixed Fengycin/Ceramide Monolayers Explored Using Atomic Force Microscopy

in Langmuir (2005), 21(6),

To gain insight into the interactions between fengycin and skin membrane lipids, mixed fengycin/ceramide monolayers were investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) (monolayers supported on mica) and ... [more ▼]

To gain insight into the interactions between fengycin and skin membrane lipids, mixed fengycin/ceramide monolayers were investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) (monolayers supported on mica) and surface pressure-area isotherms (monolayers at the air-water interface). AFM topographic images revealed phase separation in mixed monolayers prepared at 20 °C/pH 2 and composed of 0.25 and 0.5 fengycin molar ratios, in the form of two-dimensional (2-D) hexagonal crystalline domains of ceramide surrounded by a fengycin-enriched fluid phase. Surface pressure-area isotherms as well as friction and adhesionAFMimages confirmed that the two phases had different molecular orientations: while ceramide formed a highly ordered phase with crystalline chain packing, fengycin exhibited a disordered fluid phase with the peptide ring lying horizontally on the substrate. Increasing the temperature and pH to values corresponding to the skin parameters, i.e., 37 °C/pH 5, was found to dramatically affect the film organization. At low fengycin molar ratio (0.25), the hexagonal ceramide domains transformed into round domains, while at higher ratio (0.5) these were shown to melt into a continuous fengycin/ceramide fluid phase. These observations were directly supported by the thermodynamic analysis (deviation from the additivity rule, excess of free energy) of the monolayer properties at the air-water interface. Accordingly, this study demonstrates that both the environmental conditions (temperature,pH)andfengycin concentration influence the molecular organization of mixed fengycin/ceramide monolayers.Webelieve that the ability to modulate the formation of 2-D domains in the skin membrane may be an important biological function of fengycin, which should be increasingly investigated in future pharmacological research. [less ▲]