Laboratory experiment demonstrates phase transition properties of lipid bilayers with varying cholesterol content, indicating structural influences on biological systems.
The laboratory experiment presented in this paper focuses on using differential scanning calorimetry to determine the calorimetric enthalpy and cooperativity of the gel to-liquid-crystalline phase transition in hydrated lipid bilayers as a function of cholesterol content. The procedure and analysis are appropriate for junior- and senior-level physics and biophysical chemistry courses in the undergraduate curriculum. The laboratory is used to emphasize the use of thermodynamic data to obtain information about structure–function relationships in biological systems. The experimental results are directly related to the authors’ ongoing research in lipid bilayer structure characterization and applications of hydrated lipid bilayers as model systems for the interpretation of MRI contrast. The laboratory is easily modified to study the effects of other conditions, such as degree of hydration, pH, and composition, on the thermodynamic behavior of lipid bilayers.
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Ceckler et al. (1997) studied this question.
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