title: Structural disruption of phospholipid bilayers over a range of length scales by n-butanol.
abstract: We report on the exposure of planar multicomponent lipid bilayers supported on mica to n-butanol. The bilayer contains 49 mol % 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-phosphatidylcholine (DOPC), 10 mol % cholesterol, 40 mol % sphingomyelin, and 1 mol % sulforhodamine-tagged 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-phosphatidylethanolamine (SR-DOPE). Phase separation of the cholesterol domains is seen within the bilayer structure, and exposure of this supported bilayer to controlled amounts of n-butanol in the aqueous overlayer produces morphological changes over a range of length scales. We report steady state fluorescence imaging, fluorescence lifetime imaging, and fluorescence anisotropy decay imaging for these bilayers. These data are consistent with literature reports on the interactions of lipid bilayers with n-butanol and provide molecular-scale insight relative to bilayer organization that has not been available to date. The exposure of these bilayers to n-butanol leads to more extensive disruption of the bilayer than is seen for their exposure to ethanol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University , 578 South Shaw Lane, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1322, United States.
authors.forename: Iwan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Setiawan
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Blanchard
mesh_terms: D020001:1-Butanol / Q000737:chemistry*; D000538:Aluminum Silicates / Q000737:chemistry; D005454:Fluorescence Polarization; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000538:Aluminum Silicates; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D010743:Phospholipids; D020001:1-Butanol; C011934:mica