Biomaterial Database

Mechanical aspects of membrane thermodynamics. Estimation of the mechanical properties of lipid membranes close to the chain melting transition from calorimetry. 1998

T Heimburg

Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, AG Membrane Thermodynamics, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. thiembu@gwdg.de

Changes in the internal energy of lipids with temperature are related to both lipid volume and area changes. Close to the chain melting transition of lipid bilayers volume and enthalpy fluctuations generally follow proportional functions. This makes it possible to calculate the relationship between membrane excess heat capacity with lipid volume, area compressibility and the membrane bending modulus, if the area fluctuations of the two monolayers are assumed to be mainly decoupled. Thus, compressibility and elasticity display pronounced maxima at the chain melting transition. These maxima can also be related to pronounced minima of the sound velocity in the lipid transition range, which were found in ultrasonic experiments. In the present study heat capacity profiles and volume changes were obtained. The compressibilities and the bending modulus were then deduced from the specific heat. The relevance of these findings for structural transitions and for the curvature dependence of heat capacities is discussed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008051	Lipid Bilayers	Layers of lipid molecules which are two molecules thick. Bilayer systems are frequently studied as models of biological membranes.	Bilayers, Lipid,Bilayer, Lipid,Lipid Bilayer
D008956	Models, Chemical	Theoretical representations that simulate the behavior or activity of chemical processes or phenomena; includes the use of mathematical equations, computers, and other electronic equipment.	Chemical Models,Chemical Model,Model, Chemical
D002151	Calorimetry	The measurement of the quantity of heat involved in various processes, such as chemical reactions, changes of state, and formations of solutions, or in the determination of the heat capacities of substances. The fundamental unit of measurement is the joule or the calorie (4.184 joules). (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed)
D002462	Cell Membrane	The lipid- and protein-containing, selectively permeable membrane that surrounds the cytoplasm in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.	Plasma Membrane,Cytoplasmic Membrane,Cell Membranes,Cytoplasmic Membranes,Membrane, Cell,Membrane, Cytoplasmic,Membrane, Plasma,Membranes, Cell,Membranes, Cytoplasmic,Membranes, Plasma,Plasma Membranes
D004548	Elasticity	Resistance and recovery from distortion of shape.
D013816	Thermodynamics	A rigorously mathematical analysis of energy relationships (heat, work, temperature, and equilibrium). It describes systems whose states are determined by thermal parameters, such as temperature, in addition to mechanical and electromagnetic parameters. (From Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, 12th ed)	Thermodynamic