title: Absorption of nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by biomembrane models: effect of the medium lipophilicity.
abstract: To demonstrate the relationship between the structure of nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their effect on biomembranes, we have investigated the influence of three structurally different nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 2-nitrofluorene, 2,7-dinitrofluorene and 3-nitrofluoranthene, on the thermotropic behavior of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine multilamellar vesicles, used as biomembrane models, by means of differential scanning calorimetry. The obtained results indicate that the studied nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons affected the thermotropic behavior of multilamellar vesicles to various extents, modifying the pretransition and the main phase transition peaks and shifting them to lower temperatures. The effect of the aqueous and lipophilic medium on the absorption process of these compounds by the biomembrane models has been also investigated revealing that the process is hindered by the aqueous medium but strongly allowed by the lipophilic medium.
authors: Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy. fcastelli@dipchi.unict.it
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Castelli
authors: Dorotea
authors: D
authors: Micieli
authors: Sara
authors: S
authors: Ottimo
authors: Zelica
authors: Z
authors: Minniti
authors: Maria Grazia
authors: MG
authors: Sarpietro
authors: Vito
authors: V
authors: Librando
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D002152:Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D004134:Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine / Q000737:chemistry; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008954:Models, Biological; D044367:Phase Transition; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D004134:Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine