A Silicate Gel for Promoting Deposition of Lipid Bilayers

✍ Scribed by Kathryn A. Melzak; Electra Gizeli

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2002
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 148 KB
• Volume: 246
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9797
• DOI: 10.1006/jcis.2001.8054

✦ Synopsis

A simple method for modifying a polymer surface to induce lipid bilayer formation by vesicle fusion is described. A silicate gel was prepared by condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in the presence of acid. When applied to a poly(methylmethacrylate) substrate, either a rough or a smooth layer could be produced, depending on the method used for the application. The smooth surface induced formation of a supported lipid bilayer by fusion of lipid vesicles; the rough silicate surface induced adsorption of a vesicle layer. A high-frequency acoustic waveguide device was used to follow the initial adsorption of vesicles, the transition from a vesicle layer to a bilayer, and the formation of a complete bilayer; the time required to form a bilayer was determined as a function of lipid concentration in suspension. The presence of a bilayer on the smooth silicate surface was confirmed by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. An additional procedure is described to modify a gold surface to induce bilayer formation.