Terpenoids are the largest group of natural compounds with a high structural diversity. Synthesized out of five- carbon building blocks they are highly lipophilic, implying a potential effect on the physical and chemical properties of the biological membrane, which are proved to be crucial for each living cell. They are synthethized by enzymes at the cell membrane and are accumulated in lipophilic environments including lipid bodies.Terpenoids are secondary metabolites produced by plant cells. They have versatile biological activities and hence the research focused on these low weight compounds the past decades. Nowadays, terpenoids find pharmaceutical applications for instance in cancer therapy, or in food industry as flavor enhancer. Despite their importance, terpenoid effects on biological bilayers have  not been investigated yet. The biological membrane as the largest cell component has, besides its barrier function, an essential role in many cell processes like cell metabolism, energy storage and communication. The vitality of a cell can rise and fall with its membrane�s properties and can be crucially effected by lipophilic molecules, for example sterols and terpenoids. Sterols are molecules known for accumulating in the hydrophobic part of the lipid bilayer changing the formation of the lipids within it. Due to the chemical structure of terpenoids we hypothetize that these molecules also have an effect on lipid packing and the thermotropic phase behavior that could further effect biological pathways of the cell.The aim is to analyze these potential effects by establishing a membrane model that mimics the biological bilayer by its lipid composition. With a combination of modern methods like Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in liquid and Fluorescence microscopy as well as classical methods such as differential scanning microscopy (DSC) and Langmuir Balance, changes in the lipid bilayer properties can be studied and visualized on the nanoscale. We present here initial data on lipid membrane physicochemical properties with compositions closer to the plant cell key organelles and terpenoid effects on it.

Terpenoids: Their effect on biological membranes

247th National Meeting (2014)

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