ELASTICITY OF SWOLLEN MICELLES FOR CHARACTERIZING VESICLES AND CELL MEMBRANES

用于表征囊泡和细胞膜的溶胀胶束的弹性

• 批准号: 6455792
• 负责人: MATTHEW S EDWARDS
• 金额: $ 8.4万
• 依托单位: SPELMAN COLLEGE
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-02-01 至 2002-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6455792
• 关键词: alkanes; amphiphilicity; atomic force microscopy; birefringences; cell membrane; elasticity; emulsions; fluidity; mathematical model; membrane activity; membrane model; micelles; nanotechnology; vesicle /vacuole; water solution

Elasticity is an important property of both animate and inanimate objects, covering their rigidity (flexibility) and structure survival. In both types of objects, this property is far from being completely understood, in fundamental ways. For animal structures, this concern is particularly vital and especially critical in maintaining the essence of life. Elasticity is intricately involved, in pathological diseases, and in the intrusion through and fluidity of cellular membranes, on the microscopic level. Also, some features, in the mechanism of aging, is implied in the analysis. Elasticity physics, of microemulsions (complex fluids of swollen micelles originating from the admixture of water and a surfactant in oil environment), -vesicles, and -cellular membranes, is essentially the same. Therefore, elastic information, about one of these structures, has implications for the others. Because of their simplicity and electro-optical behavior, as shown by us and others, microemulsions will be used as test materials to measure elasticity of vesicles and cell membranes. Specifically, we will: (1) use the Electro-Optical Birefringent (EOB) Kerr coefficient method to measure, in different aliphatic oil environments and at different temperatures, the Kerr co-efficient dependence on swollen- micellar droplet size omega (molar ratio of the number of water molecules to the number of surfactant molecules); (2) modify using the Mean Field Theory, Numerical Analysis, and the Calculus of Variations the single isolated droplet model; and (3) reconsider the data obtained in #1, above, based on the modified theory for the advantages of one model over the other. These research efforts will impact directly on the health of mankind by providing information on pathological diseases and the essential deterioration of cell membrane-liked structures. Our measurements and modeling developments are essential for subsequent-direct characterization of cellular membranes.

弹性是有生命和无生命物体的重要属性，涵盖其刚性（灵活性）和结构生存。在这两种类型的对象中，这一属性还远没有从根本上被完全理解。对于动物结构来说，这种关注尤其重要，对于维持生命本质尤其关键。在微观水平上，弹性与病理疾病以及细胞膜的侵入和流动性密切相关。此外，分析还暗示了衰老机制中的一些特征。微乳液（源自水和油环境中的表面活性剂的混合物的溶胀胶束的复杂流体）、囊泡和细胞膜的弹性物理学本质上是相同的。因此，关于这些结构之一的弹性信息对其他结构具有影响。正如我们和其他人所表明的，由于其简单性和电光行为，微乳液将被用作测试材料来测量囊泡和细胞膜的弹性。具体来说，我们将：（1）使用电光双折射（EOB）克尔系数方法来测量在不同的脂肪油环境和不同的温度下，克尔系数对膨胀胶束液滴尺寸omega（摩尔比）的依赖性。水分子数与表面活性剂分子数之比）； (2)利用平均场理论、数值分析和变分法修正单孤立液滴模型； (3) 基于修改后的理论，重新考虑上述#1 中获得的数据，以确定一种模型相对于另一种模型的优势。这些研究工作将通过提供有关病理疾病和细胞膜样结构本质退化的信息，直接影响人类的健康。我们的测量和建模开发对于细胞膜的后续直接表征至关重要。