Probing the Interaction between Nanoparticles and Lipid Membranes by Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation Monitoring

Abstract

There is increasing interest in using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) to investigate the interaction of nanoparticles (NPs) with model surfaces. The high sensitivity, ease of use and the ability to monitor interactions in real-time has made it a popular technique for colloid chemists, biologists, bioengineers, and biophysicists. QCM-D has been recently used to probe the interaction of NPs with supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) as model cell membranes. The interaction of NPs with SLBs is highly influenced by the quality of the lipid bilayers. Unlike many surface sensitive techniques, by using QCM-D, the quality of SLBs can be assessed in real-time, hence QCM-D studies on SLB-NP interactions are less prone to the artifacts arising from bilayers that are not well formed. The ease of use and commercial availability of a wide range of sensor surfaces also have made QCM-D a versatile tool for studying NP interactions with lipid bilayers. In this review, we summarize the state-of-the-art on QCM-D based techniques for probing the interactions of NPs with lipid bilayers.

Hybrid, metal oxide-peptide amphiphile micelles for molecular magnetic resonance imaging of atherosclerosis

“…To further enhance the stability and permeability of HMO-Ms, 1,2-dioleoyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) and cholesterol were incorporated together with DSPE-PEG(2000)-CREKA onto the oleate exterior of the metal oxide core to form an asymmetric bilayer. DOPC is commonly used on the surface of nanoparticles to mimic the lipid bilayer of cells, which enhances the interaction with cells [ 39 , 40 ]. About 20–50 mol% of cholesterol is found in the phospholipid bilayer of mammalian cells, which provides order and stability to the membrane structure [ 41 , 42 ].…”

Supported lipid bilayers with encapsulated quantum dots (QDs) via liposome fusion: effect of QD size on bilayer formation and structure

“…A noticeable impact of the embedded QDs on the kinetics of bilayer formation via vesicle Figure 4 also indicate that the mass of released water was smaller for SUV-QDs as compared with the liposomes without QDs, and the amount of released water increased with the QD size d incorporated. There have been a number of studies in the literature investigating the interactions of NPs/QDs with model lipid bilayers such as supported lipid bilayers (SLB) and supported vesicular layers (SVL) using QCM-D. 26,71 However, the effect of embedded hydrophobic NPs/QDs on the formation of supported lipid bilayers via vesicle fusion has not been reported. AFM imaging was performed to observe the effect of the embedded QDs on the SLB morphology ( Figure 5).…”

Real‐Time Detection of Nanoparticles Interaction with Lipid Membranes Using an Integrated Acoustical and Electrical Multimode Biosensor

“…It is known that the size of nanoparticles affects their pathways to enter cells . Here, we demonstrated how the particle size affects the particle–membrane interactions.…”

“…For instance, the EIS measurements can determine the configuration changes of the lipid membrane by monitoring the variation of membrane capacitance but in lack of kinematic information on the translocation process. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation function (QCM‐D), which is sensitive to the mass acoustically coupled to the oscillatory motion of the sensor, provides a label‐free approach of monitoring nanoparticles interactions with the lipid membranes in real time . The interaction of nanoparticles with the lipid membrane usually starts with their adsorption on the surface, which can be readily detected by QCM‐D with the associated acoustic mass (including dry and water mass).…”