Phase transitions in egg phosphatidylcholine

Abstract

Lyotropics exhibit liquid crystalline properties that are dependent on the variation of concentration of the solvent. These molecules have a hydrophilic region, which has affinity for water and hydrophobic part, which excludes water. The forces brought about by such characteristics give rise to modification in shape, structure, and property. Examples of lyotropic liquid crystals are phospholipids. Phosphatidylcholine is a phospholipid found in biological membranes and when mixed with water, formation of multilayers is predicted. Previous studies on egg phosphatidylcholine propose that lipid chains are remarkably well oriented considering that the multilayers consist of up to several thousand stacked bilayers. The standard model for the cell membrane is associated with the structures of bilayer of phospholipids. The study on synthetic biomembranes and its liquid crystalline properties would be essential for biological purposes for they serve as mimic systems.
In this experiment, several samples have been prepared by mixing isolated egg phosphatidylcholine with varying weight ratio of water. The phase transition and texture of the samples have been investigated. This study aims to understand the stability of lyotropic liquid crystals. Also, the temperature dependent transitions of the samples are recognized through different characterization methods.