Influence of Cholesterol on the Oxygen Permeability of Membranes: Insight from Atomistic Simulations.

ABSTRACT: Cholesterol is widely known to alter the physical properties and permeability of membranes. Several prior works have implicated cell membrane cholesterol as a barrier to tissue oxygenation, yet a good deal remains to be explained with regard to the mechanism and magnitude of the effect. We use molecular dynamics simulations to provide atomic-resolution insight into the influence of cholesterol on oxygen diffusion across and within the membrane. Our simulations show strong overall agreement with published experimental data, reproducing the shapes of experimental oximetry curves with high accuracy. We calculate the upper-limit transmembrane oxygen permeability of a 1-palmitoyl,2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine phospholipid bilayer to be 52 ± 2 cm/s, close to the permeability of a water layer of th

SUBMITTER: Dotson RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5474842 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature