Effect of Supporting Polyelectrolyte Multilayers and Deposition Conditions on the Formation of 1-Palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine/1-Palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine Lipid Bilayers

Structural evolution of supported lipid bilayers intercalated with quantum dots

HYPOTHESIS

Supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) embedded with hydrophobic quantum dots (QDs) undergo temporal structural rearrangement.

EXPERIMENTS

Synchrotron X-ray reflectivity (XRR) was applied to monitor the temporal structural changes over a period of 24 h of mixed SLBs of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) / 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-ethanolamine (POPE) intercalated with 4.9 nm hydrophobic cadmium sulphide quantum dots (CdS QDs). The QD-embedded SLBs (QD-SLBs) were formed via rupture of the mixed liposomes on a positively charged polyethylene imine (PEI) monolayer. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging provided complementary characterization of the bilayer morphology.

FINDINGS

Our results show time-dependent perturbations in the SLB structure due to the interaction upon QD incorporation. Compared to the SLB without QDs, at 3 h incubation time, there was a measurable decrease in the bilayer thickness and a concurrent increase in the scattering length density (SLD) of the QD-SLB. The QD-SLB then became progressively thicker with increasing incubation time, which - along with the fitted SLD profile - was attributed to the structural rearrangement due to the QDs being expelled from the inner leaflet to the outer leaflet of the bilayer. Our results give unprecedented mechanistic insights into the structural evolution of QD-SLBs on a polymer cushion, important to their potential biomedical and biosensing applications.

Relevance of charges and polymer mechanical stiffness in the mechanism and kinetics of formation of liponanoparticles probed by the supported bilayer model approach

Parameters controlling the mechanism and kinetics of formation of liponanoparticles are determined using supported lipid bilayer models.

Supported lipid bilayers with encapsulated quantum dots (QDs) via liposome fusion: effect of QD size on bilayer formation and structure

Understanding interactions between functional nanoparticles and lipid bilayers is important to many emerging biomedical and bioanalytical applications. In this paper, we report incorporation of hydrophobic cadmium sulphide quantum dots (CdS QDs) into mixed 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC)/1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (POPE) liposomes, and into their supported bilayers (SLBs). The QDs were found embedded in the hydrophobic regions of the liposomes and the supported bilayers, which retained the QD fluorescent properties. In particular, we studied the effect of the QD size (2.7-5.4 nm in diameter) on the formation kinetics and structure of the supported POPC/POPE bilayers, monitored in situ using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D), as the liposomes ruptured onto the substrate. The morphology of the obtained QD-lipid hybrid bilayers was studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM), and their structure by synchrotron X-ray reflectivity (XRR). It was shown that the incorporation of hydrophobic QDs promoted bilayer formation on the PEI cushion, evident from the rupture and fusion of the QD-endowed liposomes at a lower surface coverage compared to the liposomes without QDs. Furthermore, the degree of disruption in the supported bilayer structure caused by the QDs was found to be correlated with the QD size. Our results provide mechanistic insights into the kinetics of the rupturing and formation process of QD-endowed supported lipid bilayers via liposome fusion on polymer cushions.

Interfacial and structural characteristics of polyelectrolyte multilayers used as cushions for supported lipid bilayers

The surface properties of polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) obtained via sequential adsorption of oppositely charged polyions from their solutions and used as cushions for supported lipid bilayers were investigated. Five types of polyelectrolytes were used: cationic polyethyleneimine (PEI), poly(diallyldimethylammonium)chloride (PDADMAC), and poly-l-lysine hydrobromide (PLL); and anionic polysodium 4-styrenesulfonate (PSS) and poly-l-glutamic acid sodium (PGA). The wettability and surface free energy of the PEMs were determined by contact angle measurements using sessile drop analysis. Electrokinetic characterisation of the studied films was performed by streaming potential measurements of selected multilayers and the structure of the polyelectrolyte multilayer was characterized by synchrotron X-ray reflectometry. The examined physicochemical properties of the PEMs were correlated with the kinetics of the formation of supported lipid bilayers atop the PEM cushion.

Properties of POPC/POPE supported lipid bilayers modified with hydrophobic quantum dots on polyelectrolyte cushions

The formation and properties of supported lipid bilayers (SLB) containing hydrophobic nanoparticles (NP) was studied in relation to underlying cushion obtained from selected polyelectrolyte multilayers. Lipid vesicles were formed from zwitterionic 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) and negatively charged 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (POPE) in phosphate buffer (PBS). As hydrophobic nanoparticles - quantum dots (QD) with size of 3.8nm (emission wavelength of 420nm) were used. Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM) were constructed by the sequential, i.e., layer-by-layer (LbL) adsorption of alternately charged polyelectrolytes from their solutions. Liposomes and Liposome-QDs complexes were studied with Transmission Cryo-Electron Microscopy (Cryo-TEM) to verify the quality of vesicles and the position of QD within lipid bilayer. Deposition of liposomes and liposomes with quantum dots on polyelectrolyte films was studied in situ using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) technique. The fluorescence emission spectra were analyzed for both: suspension of liposomes with nanoparticles and for supported lipid bilayers containing QD on PEM. It was demonstrated that quantum dots are located in the hydrophobic part of lipid bilayer. Moreover, we proved that such QD-modified liposomes formed supported lipid bilayers and their final structure depended on the type of underlying cushion.

Biodegradable, Tethered Lipid Bilayer-Microsphere Systems with Membrane-Integrated α-Helical Peptide Anchors

Supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) are ideally suited for the study of biomembrane-biomembrane interactions and for the biomimicry of cell-to-cell communication, allowing for surface ligand displays that contain laterally mobile elements. However, the SLB paradigm does not include three-dimensionality and biocompatibility. As a way to bypass these limitations, we have developed a biodegradable form of microsphere SLBs, also known as proteolipobeads (PLBs), using PLGA microspheres. Microspheres were synthesized using solvent evaporation and size selected with fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS). Biomembranes were covalently tethered upon fusion to microsphere supports via short-chain PEG spacers connecting membrane-integrated α-helical peptides and the microsphere surface, affecting membrane diffusivity and mobility as indicated by confocal FRAP analysis. Membrane heterogeneities, which are attributed to PLGA hydrophobicity and rough surface topography, are curtailed by the addition of PEG tethers. This method allows for the presentation of tethered, laterally mobile biomembranes in three dimensions with functionally embedded attachment peptides for mobile ligand displays.