Ion Transport across Biological Membranes by Carborane-Capped Gold Nanoparticles.

ABSTRACT: Carborane-capped gold nanoparticles (Au/carborane NPs, 2-3 nm) can act as artificial ion transporters across biological membranes. The particles themselves are large hydrophobic anions that have the ability to disperse in aqueous media and to partition over both sides of a phospholipid bilayer membrane. Their presence therefore causes a membrane potential that is determined by the relative concentrations of particles on each side of the membrane according to the Nernst equation. The particles tend to adsorb to both sides of the membrane and can flip across if changes in membrane potential require their repartitioning. Such changes can be made either with a potentiostat in an electrochemical cell or by competition with another partitioning ion, for example, potassium in the presence of its

SUBMITTER: Grzelczak MP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5746845 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature