Interactions of Small Solutes with Phospholipid Membranes
A cell membrane is a site of complex interactions of lipids, proteins, and low-molecular-weight compounds such as salt ions. The ions are known to have a significant impact on the structural and electrostatic properties of membranes. On the other hand, the problem of interactions of small solutes with plasma membranes is fundamental to numerous applications in the biosciences, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. Often, these solutes have an amphiphilic nature, one example being dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) which is widely employed in cell biology as an effective penetration enhancer, cell fusogen, and cryoprotectant. Another important representative is ethanol. Apart from the fact that ethanol is widely encountered in our every day life as a principal component of alcoholic beverages and also as a food preservative, its effect on biological membranes is often considered in context with general action of anesthesia. To better understand how various small solutes can change the structure and properties of cell membranes we perform molecular dynamics simulations of phospholipid membranes in aqueous solution with salt ions, DMSO, ethanol, and urea.
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