Use of X-ray scattering to aid the design and delivery of membrane-active drugs.
Biological membranes can be targets for compounds that either disrupt their barrier function or affect protein function via membrane-mediated processes. Biophysical studies on membrane-mimetic systems composed of membrane lipids have contributed substantially to our knowledge on the pertaining membrane physics and aid the development of membrane-specific drugs. Moreover, lipid membranes and, in particular, liposomes are convenient systems for drug delivery. We review some of our recent work that demonstrates the applicability of X-ray scattering to understanding the molecular mechanisms of drug-membrane interactions. In particular we focus on effects of anesthetics, sphingomyelinase, and antimicrobial peptides. We further discuss X-ray scattering as a quality-control tool for liposomal drug-delivery systems.
Institute of Biophysics and Nanosystems Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Schmiedlstr. 6, 8042, Graz, Austria. georg.pabst@oeaw.ac.at
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G
Pabst
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Zweytick
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Prassl
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Lohner
D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry*; D008081:Liposomes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008081:Liposomes; D008565:Membrane Proteins