Advanced search
Start date
Betweenand


Properties of Giant Unillamelar Vesicles

Full text
Author(s):
David Domingues Pavanelli
Total Authors: 1
Document type: Doctoral Thesis
Press: São Paulo.
Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Conjunto das Químicas (IQ e FCF) (CQ/DBDCQ)
Defense date:
Examining board members:
Mario José Politi; Maria Helena Bueno da Costa; Iolanda Mídea Cuccovia; Eloi da Silva Feitosa; Rosangela Itri
Advisor: Mario José Politi
Abstract

The stability of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) has been monitored by phase contrast and fluorescence microscopy, using sugar gradients, sodium 1,3,6,8 pirene tetrasulfonate (PTS) as fluorescent probe, 1,1\'-dimethyl-4,4\'-bipiridinium chloride (MV) as fluorescence quencher and 2-(12-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-il) amino) dodecanoyl-1-hexadecanoyl-sn-glicero-3-phosphocholine (NBD-PC) as fluorescent lipid analog. An accentuated variability in the individual behaviour of GUVs was observed as far as (i) stability of encapsulation; (ii) lipid bilayer-surface interactions and; (iii) lipid structures connected to GUVs are concerned. Experimental results can be explained by transient pores formation due to an increase in lipid bilayer tension. After processes of bilayer tension generation, pores are opened, while effluxes of GUVs internal solution are promoted by Laplace pressure. With the internal volume decrease, bilayer tension is relaxed and pores closure guided by line tension, minimizing the energetic component of lipid curvature in pore edges. Transient pores model explains experimental results such as mass exchange between internal and external GUVs media, GUVs effluxes, pores\' lifetime, pores diameter\'s limit and stability of GUV encapsulation after opening and closure of pores. (AU)