Aescin-Cholesterol Complexes in DMPC Model Membranes: A DSC and Temperature-Dependent Scattering Study.

ABSTRACT: The saponin aescin, a mixture of triterpenoid saponins, is obtained from the seeds of the horse chestnut tree Aesculus hippocastanum. The β-form employed in this study is haemolytically active. The haemolytic activity results from the ability of aescin to form strong complexes with cholesterol in the red blood cell membrane. In this study, we provide a structural analysis on the complex formation of aescin and cholesterol when embedded in a phospholipid model membrane formed by 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC). In this work, the temperatures investigated extend from DMPC's L_β' to its L_α phase in dependence of different amounts of the saponin (0-6 mol% for calorimetric and 0-1 mol% for structural analyses) and the steroid (1-10 mol%). At these aescin

SUBMITTER: Sreij R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6447539 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature