Interaction of new fluorescent ict-dyes with lipid membranes

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the sensitivity of newly synthesized ICT dyes to the changes in physicochemical properties of lipid bilayer. Partitioning of ICT4 into lipid phase of the model membranes composed of zwitterionic lipid phosphatidylcholine (PC) and its mixtures with anionic lipid cardiolipin and cholesterol was followed by the decrease of fluorescence quantum yield and short- wavelength shift of emission maximum. On the contrary, ICT2 exhibited tenfold increase of the quantum yield upon interaction with liposomes, without any shift of the emission maximum. Analysis of the partition coefficients showed that inclusion of cardiolipin and choleterol into phosphatidylcholine bilayer gives rise to increase of the ICT2 incorporation into lipid phase compared to the neat phosphatidylcholine membrane.