Characterization of lipid solubilization, bicelle formation, and magnetic-alignment induced by saponins.

ABSTRACT: Saponins are a diverse class of plant-derived glycoside natural products. They are amphiphilic surfactants and have been included in food, agriculture, cosmetics, cleaner, and pharmaceutical products as emulsifiers. Interactions between saponins and lipids have been widely studied for these applications. Recently, some binary saponin-phospholipid mixtures have been reported to form disc-shaped colloidal particles, called bicelles or nanodiscs, that align in a magnetic field. These bicelles are potentially useful for a variety of research and biomedical purposes. Here, we used transmittance assays to determine the ability of Quillaja saponins (CQS) to solubilize phospholipids with varied chain lengths and headgroup charges. Then, we used static ³¹P solid-state NMR to construct a

SUBMITTER: McCalpin SD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12799272 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature