Issue 1, 1983

Image-charge forces in phospholipid bilayer systems

Abstract

The image-charge forces between zwitterionic phospholipid bilayers are analysed in a dielectric model for both the bilayer and the aqueous region. When a second bilayer approaches surface charges are induced by the ionic groups and a repulsive force is generated. The molecular origin of the repulsion is the long-range character of the polar headgroup solvation and the second bilayer excludes some of the solvating water molecules. The effect is analysed quantitatively in a combined statistical-mechanical–electrostatic formulation. It is found that the range and the strength of the force depend in a crucial way on the zwitterionic correlations within a bilayer. For strong correlations as in a lattice the force decays exponentially with short decay lengths ( < 1 Å), while in the completely uncorrelated case the leading term follows a power law. The calculated magnitude of the repulsion is of the same order of magnitude as those found experimentally. We conclude that the image-charge mechanism should be considered as a possible source of the hydration force found in these systems. The explanation is appealing since its source is simply the hydrophilicity of the polar groups.

Article information

Article type
Paper

J. Chem. Soc., Faraday Trans. 2, 1983,79, 19-35

Image-charge forces in phospholipid bilayer systems

B. Jönsson and H. Wennerström, J. Chem. Soc., Faraday Trans. 2, 1983, 79, 19 DOI: 10.1039/F29837900019

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Spotlight

Advertisements