(28ag) Investigating Synthetic Biological Membranes with Sensitivity to Low-Strength Electric Fields

It has been demonstrated that charged phospholipid bilayers of particular formulation exhibit altered permeability when subjected to low-strength, low-frequency electric field. In contrast with electroporation, which requires applied field strengths upwards 100 V/cm, this phenomenon occurs with applied field strengths as low as 1 V/cm. The mechanism of alteration, however, is not fully understood.

We aim to investigate the behavior of the lipids comprising these bilayers using Fluorescent Spectroscopy. Various membrane properties, such as phase, viscosity, and component localization are assessed. Phase boundaries are probed with varying lipid composition, temperature, ionic strength, and applied electric field parameters.

The findings of this work represent a platform for the design of electric field sensitive lipid systems. As these low field strengths are present in human physiology, it can be of use in the design of targeted drug delivery systems. Further, it can be of use in the study of biological membranes’ response to the perturbation caused by applied electric field.