Partitioning of perfluorooctanoate into phosphatidylcholine bilayers is chain length-independent

Authors

Wei Xie
Geoffrey D. Bothun, University of Rhode IslandFollow
Hans-Joachim Lehmler

Document Type

Article

Date of Original Version

2010

Department

Chemical Engineering

Abstract

The chain length dependence of the interaction of PFOA, a persistent environmental contaminant, with dimyristoyl- (DMPC), dipalmitoyl- (DPPC) and distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC) was investigated using steady-state fluorescence anisotropy spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). PFOA caused a linear depression of the main phase transition temperature T_m while increasing the width of the phase transition of all three phosphatidylcholines. Although PFOA's effect on T_m and the transition width decreased in the order DMPC > DPPC > DSPC, its relative effect on the phase behavior was largely independent of the phosphatidylcholine. PFOA caused swelling of DMPC but not DPPC and DSPC liposomes at 37 °C in the DLS experiments, which suggests that PFOA partitions more readily into bilayers in the fluid phase. These findings suggest that PFOA's effect on the phase behavior of phosphatidylcholines depends on the cooperativity and state (i.e., gel versus liquid phase) of the membrane. DLS experiments are also consistent with partial liposome solubilization at PFOA/lipid molar ratios > 1, which suggests the formation of mixed PFOA–lipid micelles.

Citation/Publisher Attribution

Xie, W., Bothun, G. D., & Lehmler, H.-J. (2010). Partitioning of perfluorooctanoate into phosphatidylcholine bilayers is chain length-independent. Chemistry and Physics of Lipids, 163(3), 300-308. doi: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2010.01.003

Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2010.01.003

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