Of recent interest in the field of lipid research is the effect of antioxidants on membrane stability. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an antioxidant extracted from green tea, has recently been shown to disrupt the integrity of large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs). The mechanism and details of the interaction between EGCG and cell membranes is still unclear. We investigated the effects of membrane composition on EGCG-induced LUV leakage using a known vesicle leakage assay. EGCG was added to LUVs loaded with carboxyfluorescein (CF). CF leakage from the vesicles was then observed and quantified using a spectrofluorometer. The results indicated that incorporation of either phosphatidylglycerol or cholesterol reduced vesicle leakage compared to the leakage of pure phosphatidylcholine vesicles. We suspect charge interactions, viscosity, and membrane rigidity to play a role in the mechanism of EGCG-induced LUV destabilization. Investigation into the effects of other lipids on EGCG-induced leakage is currently underway.

Effect of membrane charge and rigidity on EGCG induced leakage

246th National Meeting (2013)

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