Dual effect of cholesterol on interfacial water dynamics in lipid membranes: Interplay between membrane packing and hydration

Fuente: arXiv
Enregistré dans:
Détails bibliographiques
Auteurs principaux: Shikata, Kokoro, Kasahara, Kento, Watanabe, Nozomi Morishita, Umakoshi, Hiroshi, Kim, Kang, Matubayasi, Nobuyuki
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2025
Sujets:
Accès en ligne:
Tags: Ajouter un tag
Pas de tags, Soyez le premier à ajouter un tag!
_version_ 1866909978411925504
author Shikata, Kokoro
Kasahara, Kento
Watanabe, Nozomi Morishita
Umakoshi, Hiroshi
Kim, Kang
Matubayasi, Nobuyuki
author_facet Shikata, Kokoro
Kasahara, Kento
Watanabe, Nozomi Morishita
Umakoshi, Hiroshi
Kim, Kang
Matubayasi, Nobuyuki
contents Water contained within biological membranes plays a critical role in maintaining the separation between intracellular and extracellular environments and facilitating biochemical processes. Variations in membrane composition and temperature lead to phase state changes in lipid membranes, which in turn influence the structure and dynamics of the associated interfacial water. In this study, molecular dynamics simulations were performed on binary membranes composed of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) or palmitoyl sphingomyelin (PSM) mixed with cholesterol (Chol). To elucidate the effects of Chol on interfacial water, we examined the orientation and hydrogen-bonding behavior of water molecules spanning from the membrane interior to the interface. As the Chol concentration increased, a transient slow down in water dynamics was observed in the ripple phase at 303 K. Conversely, at higher Chol concentrations, water dynamics were accelerated relative to pure lipid membranes across all temperatures studied. Specifically, at a Chol concentration of 50%, the hydrogen bond lifetime in DPPC membranes decreased to approximately 0.5-0.7 times that of pure lipid membranes. This nonmonotonic behavior is attributed to the combined effects of membrane packing induced by Chol and a reduced density of lipid molecules in the hydrophilic region, offering key insights for modulating the dynamical properties of interfacial water.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_21622
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Dual effect of cholesterol on interfacial water dynamics in lipid membranes: Interplay between membrane packing and hydration
Shikata, Kokoro
Kasahara, Kento
Watanabe, Nozomi Morishita
Umakoshi, Hiroshi
Kim, Kang
Matubayasi, Nobuyuki
Soft Condensed Matter
Water contained within biological membranes plays a critical role in maintaining the separation between intracellular and extracellular environments and facilitating biochemical processes. Variations in membrane composition and temperature lead to phase state changes in lipid membranes, which in turn influence the structure and dynamics of the associated interfacial water. In this study, molecular dynamics simulations were performed on binary membranes composed of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) or palmitoyl sphingomyelin (PSM) mixed with cholesterol (Chol). To elucidate the effects of Chol on interfacial water, we examined the orientation and hydrogen-bonding behavior of water molecules spanning from the membrane interior to the interface. As the Chol concentration increased, a transient slow down in water dynamics was observed in the ripple phase at 303 K. Conversely, at higher Chol concentrations, water dynamics were accelerated relative to pure lipid membranes across all temperatures studied. Specifically, at a Chol concentration of 50%, the hydrogen bond lifetime in DPPC membranes decreased to approximately 0.5-0.7 times that of pure lipid membranes. This nonmonotonic behavior is attributed to the combined effects of membrane packing induced by Chol and a reduced density of lipid molecules in the hydrophilic region, offering key insights for modulating the dynamical properties of interfacial water.
title Dual effect of cholesterol on interfacial water dynamics in lipid membranes: Interplay between membrane packing and hydration
topic Soft Condensed Matter
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.21622