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Fatty acid transport across lipid bilayer planar membranes

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Lipids

Abstract

The transport of palmitic acid (PA) across planar lipid bilayer membranes was measured using a high specific activity [14C]palmitate as tracer for PA. An all-glass trans chamber was employed in order to minimize adsorbance of PA onto the surface. Electrically neutral (diphytanoyl phosphatidylcholine) and charged (Azolectin) planar bilayers were maintained at open electric circuit. We found a permeability to PA of (8.8±1.9)×10−6 cm s−1 (n=15) in neutral and of (10.3±2.2)×10−6 cm s−1 (n=5) in charged bilayers. These values fall within the order of magnitude of those calculated from desorption constants of PA in different vesicular systems. Differences between data obtained from planar and vesicular systems are discussed in terms of the role of solvent, radius of curvature, and pH changes.

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Abbreviations

cpm:

counts per minute

DPPC:

diphytanoyl phosphatidylcholine

FA:

fatty acid

GUV:

giant unilamellar vesicle

LUV:

large unilamellar vesicle

PA:

palmitic acid

PBM:

planar bilayer membranes

SUV:

small unilamellar vesicle

Trizma:

tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane

UV:

unilamellar vesicles

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofisica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil

    L. G. Romano-Fontes, R. Curi, C. M. Peres, A. Nishiyama-Naruke, K. Brunaldi, F. Abdulkader & J. Procopio

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  1. L. G. Romano-Fontes
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  2. R. Curi
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  3. C. M. Peres
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  4. A. Nishiyama-Naruke
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  5. K. Brunaldi
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  6. F. Abdulkader
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  7. J. Procopio
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Correspondence to J. Procopio.

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Romano-Fontes, L.G., Curi, R., Peres, C.M. et al. Fatty acid transport across lipid bilayer planar membranes. Lipids 35, 31–34 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-000-0491-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-000-0491-4

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