Perturbation of Lipid Bilayers by Biomimetic Photoswitches Based on Cyclocurcumin

Abstract

The use of photoswitches which may be activated by suitable electromagnetic radiation is an attractive alternative to conventional photodynamic therapy. Here we report all atom molecular dynamics simulation of a biomimetic photoswitch derived from cyclocurcumin and experiencing E/Z photoisomerization. In particular, we show that the two isomers interact persistently with a lipid bilayer modeling a cellular membrane. Furthermore, the interaction with the membrane is strongly dependent on the concentration and a transition between ordered or disordered arrangements of the photoswitches is observed. We also confirm that the structural parameters of the bilayer are differently affected by the two isomers, and hence can be modulated through photoswitching, offering interesting perspectives for future applications. TOC Graphic O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=162 SRC="FIGDIR/small/507454v2_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (56K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@147a38corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@425dcforg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@11ce512org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@318e8_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG