Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Transport Mechanism of Graphene Quantum Dots through Different Cell Membranes

Autor: Pengzhen Zhang, Fangfang Jiao, Lingxiao Wu, Zhe Kong, Wei Hu, Lijun Liang, Yongjun Zhang
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Membranes, Vol 12, Iss 8, p 753 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2077-0375
DOI: 10.3390/membranes12080753
Popis: Exploring the mechanisms underlying the permeation of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) through different cell membranes is key for the practical application of GQDs in medicine. Here, the permeation process of GQDs through different lipid membranes was evaluated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Our results showed that GQDs can easily permeate into 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) and 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE) lipid membranes with low phospholipid molecule densities but cannot permeate into 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (POPE) lipid membranes with high phospholipid densities. Free energy calculation showed that a high-energy barrier exists on the surface of the POPE lipid membrane, which prevents GQDs from entering the cell membrane interior. Further analysis of the POPE membrane structure showed that sparsely arranged phospholipid molecules of the low-density lipid membrane facilitated the entry of GQDs into the interior of the membrane, compared to compactly arranged molecules in the high-density lipid membrane. Our simulation study provides new insights into the transmembrane transport of GQDs.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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