title: A theoretical model for surface polarizability in phospholipid membranes.
abstract: A simple theoretical model based on statistical thermodynamics is proposed in order to correlate surface polarizability in membranes with frequency shifts in the electronic transitions of fluorescence probes. This model predicts a different behaviour for the absorption and emission processes of probes in lipid environments and suggests that as a first approximation these spectroscopic variations can be linearly related to the deformability (polarizability) of the ionic heads of the phospholipids. Some preliminary spectroscopic measurements suggest that this hypothesis might be a correct interpretation of the electronic shift observed in the spectral analysis of phospholipid membranes.
mesh_terms: D000817:Anilino Naphthalenesulfonates; D004161:Diphenylhexatriene; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D008956:Models, Chemical; D010743:Phospholipids; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D013499:Surface Properties; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D000817:Anilino Naphthalenesulfonates; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D010743:Phospholipids; D004161:Diphenylhexatriene