Quercetin and epigallocatechin-3-gallate effect on the anisotropy of model membranes with cholesterol

• The effect of quercetin and epigallocatechin gallate on DMPC liposomes with or without cholesterol was studied using Laurdan.
• Polyphenols modulate the transition from gel to liquid crystalline phase in all studied membranes.
• The effect of quercetin depends on its concentration, while the effect of epigallocatechin-3-gallate does not.

Cell membrane fluidity, which can be altered by oxidative stress, plays an important role in the cell physiology. Flavonoids are among the most studied food substances that prevent and/or reduce oxidative stress, but their action mechanisms are far from being understood. We performed a study on the effect of quercetin and epigallocatechin-3-gallate on 2-Dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) with different amounts of cholesterol, using Laurdan as a fluorescent probe, to put into evidence the perturbations of the phospholipid membrane fluidity and local lipid order in an attempt to decipher the action mechanism of the flavonoids at the cell membrane level. Results indicate that polyphenols modulate the transition from the gel phase to the liquid crystalline phase of SUVs in all studied membranes. SUVs with cholesterol have by themselves higher phase transition temperature and the presence of polyphenols stabilizes further the membrane. Quercetin has a dose-dependent effect on the fluidity and local order of the lipid membranes, whilst epigallocatechin-3-gallate action is not dose-dependent, the differences being attributable to the hydrophobic/hydrophilic character of the substances. The findings are discussed within the frame of earlier reports on the effect of polyphenols on artificial membranes.