Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T15:38:51.297Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mechanical studies of hydrogel encapsulated membranes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Tae-Joon Jeon ,
Noah Malmstadt  and
Jacob Schmidt
Tae-Joon Jeon
Affiliation:
[email protected], UCLA, Department of Bioengineering, 7523 Boelter Hall, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Noah Malmstadt
Affiliation:
[email protected], UCLA, Department of Bioengineering, 7523 Boelter Hall, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Jacob Schmidt
Affiliation:
[email protected], UCLA, Department of Bioengineering, 7523 Boelter Hall, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Get access

Abstract

We have encapsulated lipid bilayer membranes within a polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate hydrogel (PEG-DMA). These hydrogel encapsulated membranes (HEMs) are significantly longer-lived and more mechanically stable than traditional lipid membranes. Over 50 attempts, HEMs usually remained intact for over 48 hours, and some lasted up to 5 days. The electrical characteristics of the HEMs were consistently stable over this period of time. The approximate thickness of the HEM was measured to be 4.7±0.5 nm (n=25), consistent with a lipid bilayer. The resistance of the HEM remained over 10 GΩ over the period of electrical measurement. Simultaneous electrical and optical measurements showed that HEMs have unusual mechanical stability, whereas free-standing lipid membranes are typically susceptible to mechanical perturbation. The HEMs could withstand much greater applied pressures than unsupported membranes. In situ electrical and optical monitoring of the HEMs showed that the gel made intimate contact with the membrane, suggesting that direct mechanical support of the bilayer is the mechanism of membrane stabilization. Single channels of alpha-hemolysin, were incorporated into HEMs and continuously measured for over 4 days. Finally, combination of the HEM with an automated membrane microfluidic formation process is proposed as a prototype platform for high throughput drug screening or small molecule sensing.

Keywords

biologicalsensorself-assembly
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 926: Symposium CC – Electrobiological Interfaces on Soft Substrates , 2006 , 0926-CC04-03
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Jeon, T.J., Malmstadt, N., and Schmidt, J.J., Hydrogel-encapsulated lipid membranes. J Am Chem Soc, 2006. 128(1): p. 42–3.Google Scholar
2. Sinner, E.K. and Knoll, W., Functional tethered membranes. Current Opinion in Chemical Biology, 2001. 5(6): p. 705–711.Google Scholar
3. Knoll, W., et al., Functional tethered lipid bilayers. Reviews in Molecular Biotechnology, 2000. 74(3): p. 137–158.Google Scholar
4. Favero, G., et al., Membrane supported lipid bilayer membranes array: preparation, stability and ion-channel insertion. Analytica Chimica Acta, 2002. 460(1): p. 23–34.Google Scholar
5. Lu, X., Ottava, A.L., and Tien, H.T., Biophysical aspects of agar-gel supported bilayer lipid membranes: a new method for forming and studying planar bilayer lipid membranes. Bioelectrochemistry and Bioenergetics, 1996. 39: p. 285–289.Google Scholar
6. Mueller, P., et al., Reconstitution of cell membrane structure in vitro and its transformation into an excitable system. Nature, 1962. 194: p. 979–980.Google Scholar
7. Miller, C., Ion channel reconstitution. 1986, New York: Plenum Press. 577.Google Scholar
8. Braha, O., et al., Designed protein pores as components for biosensors. Chem Biol, 1997. 4(7): p. 497–505.Google Scholar