The study of the interaction of a model alpha-helical peptide with lipid bilayers and monolayers.

We studied the interaction of the alpha-helical peptide acetyl-Lys(2)-Leu(24)-Lys(2)-amide (L(24)) with tethered bilayer lipid membranes (tBLM) and lipid monolayers formed at an air-water interface. The interaction of L(24) with tBLM resulted in adsorption of the peptide to the surface of the bilayer, characterized by a binding constant K(c)=2.4+/-0.6 microM(-1). The peptide L(24) an induced decrease of the elasticity modulus of the tBLM in a direction perpendicular to the membrane surface, E(radial). The decrease of E(radial) with increasing peptide concentration can be connected with a disordering effect of the peptide to the tBLM structure. The pure peptide formed a stable monolayer at the air/water interface. The pressure-area isotherms were characterized by a transition of the peptide monolayer, which probably corresponds of the partial intercalation of the alpha-helixes at higher surface pressure. Interaction of the peptide molecules with lipid monolayers resulted in an increase of the mean molecular area of phospholipids both in the gel and liquid crystalline states. With increasing peptide concentration, the temperature of the phase transition of the monolayer shifted toward lower temperatures. The analysis showed that the peptide-lipid monolayer is not an ideally miscible system and that the peptide molecules form aggregates in the monolayer.

Liposome aggregation in presence of the sweeteners cyclamate and saccharine.

The interaction of the sweeteners saccharine and cyclamate with large unilamellar liposomes and planar bilayer lipid membranes (BLM) was studied. Application of the methods of light scattering and sound velocimetry showed that saccharine induces aggregation of liposomes, while cyclamate probably caused increase of the hydration of liposome surface. The sweeteners induced changes of BLM compressibility in a direction perpendicular to the membrane plane. The cyclamate induced considerably larger decreases in the elasticity module than saccharine. The obtained results show that both saccharine and cyclamate interacts with the surface of lipid bilayer and could modify the physical properties of lipid membranes.