Length of hydrocarbon chain influences location of curcumin in liposomes: Curcumin as a molecular probe to study ethanol induced interdigitation of liposomes

•Location of curcumin in liposomes depends on length of hydrocarbon chain•High percentage of cholesterol accelerates the phase transition of DPPC liposomes•High percentage of cholesterol generates a rather rigid DMPC liposome•Curcumin fluorescence is quenched in liposomes due to interdigitation

Using fluorescence quenching of curcumin in 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) and 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) liposomes by brominated derivatives of fatty acids, the location of curcumin has been studied, which indicates length of hydrocarbon chain has an effect on the location of curcumin in liposomes. Change of fluorescence intensity of curcumin with temperature in the presence of liposomes helps to estimate the phase transition temperature of these liposomes, thus, influence of cholesterol on liposome properties has been studied using curcumin as a molecule probe. The cooperativity due to the interactions between the hydrocarbon chains during melting accelerates the phase transition of DPPC liposomes in the presence of high percentage of cholesterol whereas high percentage of cholesterol generates a rather rigid DMPC liposome over a wide range of temperatures. We used ethanol to induce interdigitation between the hydrophobic chains of the lipids and studied this effect using curcumin as fluorescence probe. As a result of interdigitation, curcumin fluorescence is quenched in liposomes. The compact arrangement of the acyl chains prevents curcumin from penetrating deep near the midplane. In the liquid crystalline phase ethanol introduces a kind of order to the more fluid liposome, and does not leave space for curcumin to be inserted away from water.

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