The interaction of insulin, glucose, and insulin–glucose mixtures with a phospholipid monolayer

We determined how glucose or insulin interacts with a phospholipid monolayer at the air/water interface and explained these mechanisms from a physico-chemical point of view. The 1,2-dipalmitoyl-2-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) monolayer at an air/water interface acted as a model membrane, which allowed the effect of the molecular packing density in the monolayer on the interactions to be determined. The interaction of glucose, insulin, and a mixture of glucose and insulin to the DPPC monolayer were investigated via surface pressure–area per molecule Langmuir isotherms and fluorescence microscopy. Glucose adsorbed to the underside of the DPPC monolayer, while insulin was able to penetrate through the monolayer when the phospholipid molecules were not densely packed. The presence of a mixture of insulin and glucose affected the molecular packing in the DPPC monolayer differently than the pure insulin or glucose solutions, and the glucose–insulin mixture was seen to be able to penetrate through the monolayer. These results indicated that glucose and insulin interact with one another, giving a material that may then transported through a pore in the monolayer or through the spaces between the molecules of the monolayer.

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► The interaction of glucose or insulin with a phospholipid monolayer was determined.
► Glucose adsorbs to a 1,2-dipalmitoyl-2-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine monolayer.
► Insulin penetrates through loosely packed phospholipid monolayers.
► Insulin and glucose interact with each other.
► Insulin–glucose aggregates penetrate loosely packed phospholipid monolayers.