Structural and kinetic molecular dynamics study of electroporation in cholesterol-containing bilayers

M. LAURA FERNÁNDEZ; GUILLERMO MARSHALL; FRANCESC SAGUÉS; RAMON REIGADA

JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B

American Physical Society

Lugar: Mariland; Año: 2010 p. 6855 - 6865

1089-5647

We present a numerical study of pore formation in lipid bilayers containingcholesterol (Chol) and subjected to a transverse electric field. Molecular Dynamicssimulations of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DOPC) membranesreveal the formation of a pore when an electric field of 325 mV/nm is applied. Theminimum electric field needed for membrane permeabilization strongly increases withthe addition of cholesterol above 10 mol%, reaching 750 mV/nm for 40 mol% Chol.Analysis of simulations of DOPC/Chol bilayers suggests this is caused by asubstantial increment of membrane cohesion. Simulations also show that poreformation kinetics is much slower at high Chol contents.