TY  - JOUR
AU  - Hoffmann, Ingo
AU  - Michel, Raphael
AU  - Sharp, Melissa
AU  - Holderer, Olaf
AU  - Appavou, Marie-Sousai
AU  - Polzer, Frank
AU  - Farago, Bela
AU  - Gradzielski, Michael
TI  - Softening of phospholipid membranes by the adhesion of silica nanoparticles – as seen by neutron spin-echo (NSE)
JO  - Nanoscale
VL  - 6
IS  - 12
SN  - 2040-3372
CY  - Cambridge
PB  - RSC Publ.
M1  - FZJ-2014-03787
SP  - 6945 - 6952
PY  - 2014
AB  - The interactions between nanoparticles and vesicles are of significant interest both from a fundamental as well as from a practical point of view, as vesicles can serve as a model system for cell membranes. Accordingly the effect of nanoparticles that bind to the vesicle bilayer is very important with respect to understanding their biological impact and also may shed some light on the mechanisms behind the effect of nanotoxicity. In this study we have investigated the influence of small adsorbed silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) on the structure of zwitterionic DOPC vesicles. By a combination of SANS, cryo-TEM, and DLS, we observed that the SiNPs are bound to the outer vesicle surface without significantly affecting the vesicle structure. Most interestingly, by means of neutron spin-echo (NSE) local bilayer fluctuations were studied and one finds a small but marked decrease of the membrane rigidity upon binding of the nanoparticles. This surprising finding may be a relevant aspect for the further understanding of the effects that nanoparticles have on phospholipid bilayers
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000337143900087
DO  - DOI:10.1039/c4nr00774c
UR  - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/154440
ER  -