The increasing industrial and biomedical applications of engineered nanomaterials have resulted in enhanced interest in understanding their potential toxic effects on mammalian cells. The cell plasma membrane, a lipid bilayer surrounding all cells, is the first cellular entity that “meets” exogenous nanoparticles. It is known nanoparticle-plasma membrane interactions play an important role in regulating nanoparticle-induced cytotoxicity; however, the underlying mechanisms of such interactions have remained obscure. This is because the plasma membrane is a dynamic and complex structure, which does not lend itself well to mechanistic studies. Further complicating such studies is the fact that the plasma membrane is an asymmetric lipid bilayer and the composition of the leaflet facing the outside environment (exofacial leaflet) is different from the composition of the leaflet facing the cell cytoplasm (cytofacial leaflet). Due to the challenges in performing mechanistic studies on the plasma membrane, researchers have used membrane models, such as lipid monolayers, supported lipid bilayers, and lipid vesicles, to investigate the mechanisms by which nanoparticles alter plasma membrane structure and integrity. However, currently used models do not capture many of the structural complexities of the plasma membrane, leading to a paucity of information, and sometimes conflicting results, on how nanoparticles disrupt the plasma membrane of mammalian cells. In this talk, I will focus on the importance of selecting the appropriate membrane model for mechanistic studies. I will first discuss how changing the membrane model alters nanoparticle-membrane interactions. I will then present our findings on the importance of plasma membrane lipid asymmetry in the context of nanoparticle-membrane interactions. Finally, I will discuss how currently used membrane models can be improved to predict nanoparticle toxicity in cells.<br/>

Interactions of nanomaterials with the cell plasma membrane: Can model membranes predict nanoparticle-induced membrane damage in cells?

2019 Fall National Meeting

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