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Membranes
Special Issues
Biomembranes and Biomimetic Membranes – from Model Analysis to ‘In...
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Biomembranes and Biomimetic Membranes – from Model Analysis to ‘In Vivo’ Study

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Biological Membrane Dynamics and Computation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 10365

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Wojciech Smułek

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Chemical Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, Berdychowo 4, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
Interests: bioremediation; enzymatic activity; toxicity; analytical chemistry; wastewater treatment; chemical engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Monika Rojewska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, Berdychowo 4, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
Interests: Langmuir monolayer; Langmuir- Blodgett film; structure and dynamics of biomimetic membrane; preparation of model membranes and analysis its surface and rheology properties and morphology (techniques: Langmuir-Blodgett, ISR, BAM, AFM); lipid-protein interactions; model membrane- drug interactions; nanoparticles-lipid monolayer interactions; adsorption at water-air interface; interfacial rheologhy; mucoadhesion; new drug delivery systems; wetting properties of biomaterials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biomembranes are the most important interface where many interactions with many biological and surface-active substances, which are crucial for living cells, take place. Therefore, studying the molecular events occurring on model cell membranes is crucial in order to more fully understand the mechanisms of action of membranes with bioactive substances. This biomolecular research challenge is important to enlarge our knowledge of many diseases and to identify further potential therapeutic targets. Artificial membrane models (Langmuir monolayers, vesicle-forming bilayers such as liposomes and supported bilayers) allow carrying out particular studies in experimental conditions to determine molecular structure, dynamics of membrane, and their interactions with bioactive molecules at the molecular level. The great challenge is to correlate the observations made for model and biomimetic membranes with the results of research on real biomembranes, especially in in vivo systems. Therefore, we hope that the proposed Special Issue will become a place for the exchange of experiences of biologists, microbiologists, pharmacists, chemists, and technologists, i.e., all those who are close to topics related to processes related to biological and biomimetic membranes.

Dr. Wojciech Smułek
Dr. Monika Rojewska
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Biomimetic and biological membranes
  • physical–chemical characteristics
  • Model membranes and their components—phospholipid, cholesterol
  • Liposomes, Langmuir monolayer, Langmuir–Blodgett film and lipid bilayers
  • Surfactant and biosurfactant impact on biomembranes
  • Pharmaceutics’ and proteins’ interaction and transport in (bio)membranes
  • Drug delivery system
  • Nanoparticles–(bio)membrane interactions
  • Adsorption phenomena, interfacial rheology
  • Membrane dynamics, their wettability, and surface-free energy

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 165 KiB  
Editorial
Special Issue “Biomembranes and Biomimetic Membranes—From Model Analysis to ‘In Vivo’ Study”
by Wojciech Smułek and Monika Rojewska
Membranes 2022, 12(2), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12020221 - 14 Feb 2022
Viewed by 1426
Abstract
Membrane processes are one of the key factors influencing the function of living cells [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomembranes and Biomimetic Membranes – from Model Analysis to ‘In Vivo’ Study)

Research

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16 pages, 6268 KiB  
Article
Plant Sterol Clustering Correlates with Membrane Microdomains as Revealed by Optical and Computational Microscopy
by Ling Tang, Yang Li, Cheng Zhong, Xin Deng and Xiaohua Wang
Membranes 2021, 11(10), 747; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11100747 - 29 Sep 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2399
Abstract
Local inhomogeneities in lipid composition play a crucial role in the regulation of signal transduction and membrane traffic. This is particularly the case for plant plasma membrane, which is enriched in specific lipids, such as free and conjugated forms of phytosterols and typical [...] Read more.
Local inhomogeneities in lipid composition play a crucial role in the regulation of signal transduction and membrane traffic. This is particularly the case for plant plasma membrane, which is enriched in specific lipids, such as free and conjugated forms of phytosterols and typical phytosphingolipids. Nevertheless, most evidence for microdomains in cells remains indirect, and the nature of membrane inhomogeneities has been difficult to characterize. We used a new push–pull pyrene probe and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) combined with all-atom multiscale molecular dynamics simulations to provide a detailed view on the interaction between phospholipids and phytosterol and the effect of modulating cellular phytosterols on membrane-associated microdomains and phase separation formation. Our understanding of the organization principles of biomembranes is limited mainly by the challenge to measure distributions and interactions of lipids and proteins within the complex environment of living cells. Comparing phospholipids/phytosterol compositions typical of liquid-disordered (Ld) and liquid-ordered (Lo) domains, we furthermore show that phytosterols play crucial roles in membrane homeostasis. The simulation work highlights how state-of-the-art modeling alleviates some of the prior concerns and how unrefuted discoveries can be made through a computational microscope. Altogether, our results support the role of phytosterols in the lateral structuring of the PM of plant cells and suggest that they are key compounds for the formation of plant PM microdomains and the lipid-ordered phase. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomembranes and Biomimetic Membranes – from Model Analysis to ‘In Vivo’ Study)
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17 pages, 4947 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Oily Vehicle Composition and Vehicle-Membrane Interactions on the Diffusion of Model Permeants across Barrier Membranes
by Omaima N. Najib, Gary P. Martin, Stewart B. Kirton, Michelle J. Botha, Al-Sayed Sallam and Darragh Murnane
Membranes 2021, 11(1), 57; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11010057 - 14 Jan 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1870
Abstract
In many instances, one or more components of a pharmaceutical or cosmetic formulation is an oil. The aims of this study were two-fold. First, to examine the potential of preferential uptake of one oily vehicle component over another into a model barrier membrane [...] Read more.
In many instances, one or more components of a pharmaceutical or cosmetic formulation is an oil. The aims of this study were two-fold. First, to examine the potential of preferential uptake of one oily vehicle component over another into a model barrier membrane (silicone) from blended vehicles (comprising two from the common excipients isohexadecane (IHD), hexadecane (HD), isopropyl myristate (IPM), oleic acid (OA) and liquid paraffin). Second, to study the effect of membrane-vehicle interactions on the diffusion of model permeants (caffeine (CF), methyl paraben (MP) and butyl paraben (BP)) from blended vehicles. Selective sorption and partition of some oils (especially IHD and IPM) at the expense of other oils (such as OA) was demonstrated to take place. For example, the membrane composition of IHD was enriched compared to a donor solution of IHD-OA: 41%, 63% and 82% IHD, compared to donor solution composition of 25%, 50% and 75% IHD, respectively. Pre-soaking the membrane in IHD, HD or LP, rather than phosphate buffer, enhanced the flux of MP through the membrane by 2.6, 1.7 and 1.3 times, respectively. The preferential sorption of individual oil components from mixtures altered the barrier properties of silicone membrane, and enhanced the permeation of CF, MP and BP, which are typically co-formulated in topical products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomembranes and Biomimetic Membranes – from Model Analysis to ‘In Vivo’ Study)
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Review

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20 pages, 4462 KiB  
Review
Langmuir Monolayer Techniques for the Investigation of Model Bacterial Membranes and Antibiotic Biodegradation Mechanisms
by Monika Rojewska, Wojciech Smułek, Ewa Kaczorek and Krystyna Prochaska
Membranes 2021, 11(9), 707; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11090707 - 14 Sep 2021
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 3688
Abstract
The amounts of antibiotics of anthropogenic origin released and accumulated in the environment are known to have a negative impact on local communities of microorganisms, which leads to disturbances in the course of the biodegradation process and to growing antimicrobial resistance. This mini-review [...] Read more.
The amounts of antibiotics of anthropogenic origin released and accumulated in the environment are known to have a negative impact on local communities of microorganisms, which leads to disturbances in the course of the biodegradation process and to growing antimicrobial resistance. This mini-review covers up-to-date information regarding problems related to the omnipresence of antibiotics and their consequences for the world of bacteria. In order to understand the interaction of antibiotics with bacterial membranes, it is necessary to explain their interaction mechanism at the molecular level. Such molecular-level interactions can be probed with Langmuir monolayers representing the cell membrane. This mini-review describes monolayer experiments undertaken to investigate the impact of selected antibiotics on components of biomembranes, with particular emphasis on the role and content of individual phospholipids and lipopolysaccharides (LPS). It is shown that the Langmuir technique may provide information about the interactions between antibiotics and lipids at the mixed film surface (π–A isotherm) and about the penetration of the active substances into the phospholipid monolayer model membranes (relaxation of the monolayer). Effects induced by antibiotics on the bacterial membrane may be correlated with their bactericidal activity, which may be vital for the selection of appropriate bacterial consortia that would ensure a high degradation efficiency of pharmaceuticals in the environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomembranes and Biomimetic Membranes – from Model Analysis to ‘In Vivo’ Study)
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