Biophysical investigations of the structure and function of the tear fluid lipid layers and the effect of ectoine. Part B: artificial lipid films.

The tear fluid lipid layer is present at the outermost part of the tear film which lines the ocular surface and functions to maintain the corneal surface moist by retarding evaporation. Instability in the structure of the tear fluid lipid layer can cause an increased rate of evaporation and thus dry eye syndrome. Ectoine has been previously shown to fluidize lipid monolayers and alter the phase behavior. In the current study we have investigated the effect of ectoine on the artificial tear fluid lipid layer composed of binary and ternary lipid mixtures of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC), cholesteryl esters and tri-acyl-glycerols. The focus of our study was mainly the structural and the biophysical aspects of the artificial tear fluid lipid layer using surface activity studies and topology analysis. The presence of ectoine consistently causes an expansion of the pressure-area isotherm indicating increased intermolecular spacing. The topology studies showed the formation of droplet-like structures due to the addition of ectoine only when tri-acyl-glycerol is present in the mixture of DPPC and chol-palmitate, similar to the natural meibomian lipids. Consequently, the hypothesis of an exclusion of tri/di-acyl-glycerol from the meibomian lipid film in the presence of ectoine in the subphase is confirmed. A model describing the effect of ectoine on meibomian lipid films is further presented which may have an application for the use of ectoines in eye drops as a treatment for the dry eye syndrome.

Biophysical investigations of the structure and function of the tear fluid lipid layer and the effect of ectoine. Part A: natural meibomian lipid films.

The tear fluid lipid layer is the outermost part of the tear film on the ocular surface which protects the eye from inflammations and injuries. We investigated the influence of ectoine on the structural organization of natural meibomian lipid films using surface activity analysis and topographical studies. These films exhibit a continuous pressure-area isotherm without any phase transition. With the addition of ectoine, the isotherm is expanded towards higher area per molecule values suggesting an increased area occupied by the interfacial lipid molecules. The AFM topology scans of natural meibomian lipid films reveal a presence of fiber-like structures. The addition of ectoine causes an appearance of droplet-like structures which are hypothesized to be tri-acyl-glycerols and other hydrophobic components excluded from the lipid film. Further the material properties of the droplet-like structure with respect to the surrounding were determined by using the quantitative imaging mode of the AFM technique. The droplet-like structures were found to be comparatively softer than the surrounding. Based on the observations a preliminary hypothesis is proposed explaining the mechanism of action of ectoine leading to the fluidization of meibomian lipid films. This suggests the possibility of ectoine as a treatment for the dry eye syndrome.

Size influences the effect of hydrophobic nanoparticles on lung surfactant model systems.

The alveolar lung surfactant (LS) is a complex lipid protein mixture that forms an interfacial monolayer reducing the surface tension to near zero values and thus preventing the lungs from collapse. Due to the expanding field of nanotechnology and the corresponding unavoidable exposure of human beings from the air, it is crucial to study the potential effects of nanoparticles (NPs) on the structural organization of the lung surfactant system. In the present study, we investigated both, the domain structure in pure DPPC monolayers as well as in lung surfactant model systems. In the pure lipid system we found that two different sized hydrophobic polymeric nanoparticles with diameter of ~12 nm and ~136 nm have contrasting effect on the functional and structural behavior. The small nanoparticles inserted into fluid domains at the LE-LC phase transition are not visibly disturbing the phase transition but disrupting the domain morphology of the LE phase. The large nanoparticles led to an expanded isotherm and to a significant decrease in the line tension and thus to a drastic disruption of the domain structures at a much lower number of nanoparticles with respect to the lipid. The surface activity of the model LS films again showed drastic variations due to presence of different sized NPs illustrated by the film balance isotherms and the atomic force microscopy. AFM revealed laterally profuse multilayer protrusion formation on compression but only in the presence of 136 nm sized nanoparticles. Moreover we investigated the vesicle insertion process into a preformed monolayer. A severe inhibition was observed only in the presence of ~136 nm NPs compared to minor effects in the presence of ~12 nm NPs. Our study clearly shows that the size of the nanoparticles made of the same material determines the interaction with biological membranes.

Low concentrated hydroxyectoine solutions in presence of DPPC lipid bilayers: a computer simulation study.

The influence of hydroxyectoine on the properties of the aqueous solution in presence of DPPC lipid bilayers is studied via semi-isotropic constant pressure (NPT) Molecular Dynamics simulations. We investigate the solvent-co-solute behavior in terms of Kirkwood-Buff integrals as well as hydrogen bond life times for an increasing hydroxyectoine concentration up to 0.15mol/L. The observed preferential exclusion mechanism identifies hydroxyectoine as a kosmotropic osmolyte. Our findings with regard to the DPPC lipid bilayer indicate an increase of the surface pressure as well as the solvent accessible surface area in presence of higher hydroxyectoine concentrations. The results are in agreement to the outcome of recent experiments. With this study, we are able to validate the visibility of co-solute-solute-solvent effects for low and physiologically relevant osmolyte concentrations.

High-resolution investigation of nanoparticle interaction with a model pulmonary surfactant monolayer.

The pulmonary surfactant film spanning the inner alveolar surface prevents alveolar collapse during the end-exhalation and reduces the work of breathing. Nanoparticles (NPs) present in the atmosphere or nanocarriers targeted through the pulmonary route for medical purposes challenge this biological barrier. During interaction with or passage of NPs through the alveolar surfactant, the biophysical functioning of the film may be altered. However, experimental evidence showing detailed biophysical interaction of NPs with the pulmonary surfactant film are scant. In this study, we have investigated the impact of a hydrophobic polyorganosiloxane (AmOrSil20) NPs on the integrity as well as on the structural organization of the model pulmonary surfactant film. Primarily, scanning force microscopic techniques and electron microscopy have been used to visualize the topology as well as to characterize the localization of nanoparticles within the compressed pulmonary surfactant film. We could show that the NPs partition in the fluid phase of the compressed film at lower surface pressure, and at higher surface pressure, such NPs interact extensively with the surface-associated structures. Major amounts of NPs are retained at the interface and are released slowly into the aqueous subphase during repeated compression/expansion cycles. Further, the process of vesicle insertion into the interfacial film was observed to slow down with increasing NP concentrations. The hydrophobic AmOrSil20 NPs up to a given concentration do not substantially affect the structural organization and functioning of pulmonary surfactant film; however, such NPs do show drastic impacts at higher concentrations.

Properties of compatible solutes in aqueous solution.

We have performed Molecular Dynamics simulations of ectoine, hydroxyectoine and urea in explicit solvent. Special attention has been spent on the local surrounding structure of water molecules. Our results indicate that ectoine and hydroxyectoine are able to accumulate more water molecules than urea by a pronounced ordering due to hydrogen bonds. We have validated that the charging of the molecules is of main importance resulting in a well defined hydration sphere. The influence of a varying salt concentration is also investigated. Finally we present experimental results of a DPPC monolayer phase transition that validate our numerical findings.

Compatible solutes: ectoine and hydroxyectoine improve functional nanostructures in artificial lung surfactants.

Ectoine and hydroxyectoine belong to the family of compatible solutes and are among the most abundant osmolytes in nature. These compatible solutes protect biomolecules from extreme conditions and maintain their native function. In the present study, we have investigated the effect of ectoine and hydroxyectoine on the domain structures of artificial lung surfactant films consisting of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol (DPPG) and the lung surfactant specific surfactant protein C (SP-C) in a molar ratio of 80:20:0.4. The pressure-area isotherms are found to be almost unchanged by both compatible solutes. The topology of the fluid domains shown by scanning force microscopy, which is thought to be responsible for the biophysical behavior under compression, however, is modified giving rise to the assumption that ectoine and hydroxyectoine are favorable for a proper lung surfactant function. This is further evidenced by the analysis of the insertion kinetics of lipid vesicles into the lipid-peptide monolayer, which is clearly enhanced in the presence of both compatible solutes. Thus, we could show that ectoine and hydroxyectoine enhance the function of lung surfactant in a simple model system, which might provide an additional rationale to inhalative therapy.

The effect of compatible solute ectoines on the structural organization of lipid monolayer and bilayer membranes.

Compatible solutes are small organic osmolytes responsible for osmotic balance and at the same time compatible with the cellular metabolism. Here, we have investigated the effect of the compatible solutes, ectoine and hydroxyectoine, on the fluid-rigid domain structure of lipid monolayer and bilayer membranes. Mainly saturated dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine membranes exhibiting a clear le/lc phase transition were used. Fluorescence microscopy showed that ectoines added to the aqueous subphase expand and fluidize the lipid monolayers especially at surface pressures below 30mN/m. The domain structure at the le/lc phase transition is sensitively modified leading to smaller but more numerous domains in the presence of ectoines. Hydroxyectoine was more efficient than ectoine. These results are explained by the replacement theory assuming that the ectoines are likely to be expelled from the membrane surface thus favoring the hydration of the lipid membrane. This effect reduces the line tension, which is the interfacial energy at the domain edges leading to reduced domain sizes and increased number of rigid domains. Isotherms of negatively charged phosphatidylglycerol membranes show a similar expansion, while unsaturated lipids are less affected. Mixed phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylglycerol membranes exhibit the same effect on the line tension increasing the tendency for a phase separation. This could be shown also in bilayer vesicles, where the compatible solutes have only a minor effect on the lipid main phase transition in pure DPPC membranes but reduce the extent of the pretransition. In mixed DPPC/DPPG bilayer membranes ectoines cause a phase separation leading to the enrichment of expanded DPPC domains. In conclusion, our study gives for the first time evidence that ectoines have an effect on lipid membranes increasing the hydration of the surface and thus increasing the mobility of the lipid head groups and fluidizing the lipid layer accordingly. This increased fluidity may be of advantage for cell membranes to withstand extreme conditions like temperature or osmotic pressure and might also accelerate cellular repair mechanisms.

Nanoparticle interaction with model lung surfactant monolayers.

One of the most important functions of the lung surfactant monolayer is to form the first line of defence against inhaled aerosols such as nanoparticles (NPs), which remains largely unexplored. We report here, for the first time, the interaction of polyorganosiloxane NPs (AmorSil20: 22 nm in diameter) with lipid monolayers characteristic of alveolar surfactant. To enable a better understanding, the current knowledge about an established model surface film that mimics the surface properties of the lung is reviewed and major results originating from our group are summarized. The pure lipid components dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol have been used to study the biophysical behaviour of their monolayer films spread at the air-water interface in the presence of NPs. Film balance measurements combined with video-enhanced fluorescence microscopy have been used to investigate the formation of domain structures and the changes in the surface pattern induced by NPs. We are able to show that NPs are incorporated into lipid monolayers with a clear preference for defect structures at the fluid-crystalline interface leading to a considerable monolayer expansion and fluidization. NPs remain at the air-water interface probably by coating themselves with lipids in a self-assembly process, thereby exhibiting hydrophobic surface properties. We also show that the domain structure in lipid layers containing surfactant protein C, which is potentially responsible for the proper functioning of surfactant material, is considerably affected by NPs.