Investigating the competitive effects of cholesterol and melatonin in model lipid membranes.

We have studied the impact of cholesterol and/or melatonin on the static and dynamical properties of bilayers made of DPPC or DOPC utilizing neutron scattering techniques, Raman spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. While differing in the amplitude of the effect due to cholesterol or melatonin when comparing their interactions with the two lipids, their addition ensued recognizable changes to both types of bilayers. As expected, based on the two-component systems of lipid/cholesterol or lipid/melatonin studied previously, we show the impact of cholesterol and melatonin being opposite and competitive in the case of three-component systems of lipid/cholesterol/melatonin.

In vitro Evaluation of the Location of Cholesteryl Ester Deposits on Monthly Replacement Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lens Materials.

Purpose: The deposition profile of cholesteryl ester on the surface and throughout the matrix of silicone hydrogel contact lens (CL) materials was determined under conditions that mimic a daily wear regimen.

Methods: In this in vitro study, four SiHy CL materials (senofilcon C, lotrafilcon B, comfilcon A and samfilcon A) were incubated in an artificial tear solution (ATS) for up to 30 days. CL incubation was alternated between the ATS (16 hours) and a multipurpose care regimen (8 hours).

Nanoscale Characteristics of Ocular Lipid Thin Films Using Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy.

Purpose: To describe the use of Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) to investigate the electrical surface potential of human meibum and to demonstrate successful use of this instrument on both human meibum and a meibum model system (six-lipid stock [6LS]) to elucidate nanoscale surface chemistry and self-assembly characteristics.

Materials And Methods: 6LS and meibum were analyzed in this study. Mica-supported thin films were created using the Langmuir-Blodgett trough.

Impact of a low molecular weight hyaluronic acid derivative on contact lens wettability.

Purpose: To investigate the interaction of a novel low molecular weight hyaluronic acid derivative containing hydrophobic groups with soft contact lenses and its effect on lens hydrophilicity compared with a conventional form of hyaluronic acid.

Methods: This investigation studied the uptake of fluorescently-labelled hyaluronic acid and a low molecular weight hyaluronic acid derivative to four types of contact lenses using fluorescent microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Further, the four lens types were used to compare efficacy in improving hydrophilicity, as well as maintenance of contact angle measurements, in commercially available multipurpose solutions that contained either hyaluronic acid, the low molecular weight hyaluronic acid derivative, or an alternative wetting agent.

Kinetic Deposition of Polar and Non-polar Lipids on Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses.

: This study investigated kinetic lipid uptake to four silicone hydrogel (SiHy) lenses over a period of four weeks, using an radiolabel method. : Four contemporary monthly replacement SiHy lenses (lotrafilcon B, senofilcon C, comfilcon A, samfilcon A) were incubated in three different solutions: 1) An artificial tear solution (ATS) containing C-labeled phosphatidylcholine (PC), 2) an ATS containing C-cholesteryl oleate (CO) and 3) an ATS containing four C-radiolabeled lipids (PC, phosphatidylethanolamine, CO, and cholesterol (total lipid)). After 16 hours, lipids were extracted twice from the lenses with chloroform:methanol and the radioactive counts determined the lipid quantities to simulate 1 day of wear.

Changes in lipid membranes may trigger amyloid toxicity in Alzheimer's disease.

Amyloid-beta peptides (Aβ), implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD), interact with the cellular membrane and induce amyloid toxicity. The composition of cellular membranes changes in aging and AD. We designed multi-component lipid models to mimic healthy and diseased states of the neuronal membrane.

Atomic force microscopy and Langmuir-Blodgett monolayer technique to assess contact lens deposits and human meibum extracts.

Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the differences in meibomian gland secretions, contact lens (CL) lipid extracts, and CL surface topography between participants with and without meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).

Methods: Meibum study: Meibum was collected from all participants and studied via Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) deposition with subsequent Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) visualization and surface roughness analysis. CL Study: Participants with and without MGD wore both etafilcon A and balafilcon A CLs in two different phases.

Comparative study of lens solutions' ability to remove tear constituents.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to use atomic force microscopy to compare and characterize the cleaning abilities of a hydrogen peroxide-based system (HPS) and a polyhexamethylene biguanide-containing multipurpose solution (MPS) at removing in vitro deposited tear film constituents, as well as to determine deposition patterns on various silicone hydrogel contact lenses.

Methods: Silicone hydrogel materials-balafilcon A (BA), lotrafilcon B (LB), and senofilcon A (SA)-were incubated for 1 week in an artificial tear solution (ATS) containing representative lipids, proteins, and salts from the tear film. Atomic force microscopy was used to resolve each lens before and after being cleaned overnight in HPS or MPS.

Melatonin directly interacts with cholesterol and alleviates cholesterol effects in dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine monolayers.

Melatonin is a pineal hormone that has been shown to have protective effects in several diseases that are associated with cholesterol dysregulation, including cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, and certain types of cancers. Cholesterol is a major membrane constituent with both a structural and functional influence. It is also known that melatonin readily partitions into cellular membranes.

Atomic force microscopy to study molecular mechanisms of amyloid fibril formation and toxicity in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease characterized by dementia and memory loss for which no cure or effective prevention is currently available. Neurodegeneration in AD is linked to formation of amyloid plaques found in brain tissues of Alzheimer's patients during post-mortem examination. Amyloid plaques are composed of amyloid fibrils and small oligomers - insoluble protein aggregates.

Nanoscale electrostatic domains in cholesterol-laden lipid membranes create a target for amyloid binding.

Amyloid fibrils are associated with multiple neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. Although biological membranes are involved in fibril plaque formation, the role of lipid membrane composition in fibril formation and toxicity is not well understood. We investigated the effect of cholesterol on the interaction of model lipid membranes with amyloid-β peptide (Aβ).

Effect of surfaces on amyloid fibril formation.

Using atomic force microscopy (AFM) we investigated the interaction of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide with chemically modified surfaces in order to better understand the mechanism of amyloid toxicity, which involves interaction of amyloid with cell membrane surfaces. We compared the structure and density of Aβ fibrils on positively and negatively charged as well as hydrophobic chemically-modified surfaces at physiologically relevant conditions. We report that due to the complex distribution of charge and hydrophobicity amyloid oligomers bind to all types of surfaces investigated (CH₃, COOH, and NH₂) although the charge and hydrophobicity of surfaces affected the structure and size of amyloid deposits as well as surface coverage.

Amyloid-β aggregation on model lipid membranes: an atomic force microscopy study.

Amyloid fibril formation is generally associated with many neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although fibril plaque formation is associated with biological membranes in vivo, the role of the cell surfaces in amyloid fibril formation and the molecular mechanism of amyloid toxicity are not well understood. Understanding the details of amyloid interaction with lipid membrane may shed light on the mechanism of amyloid toxicity.

Effect of cholesterol and amyloid-β peptide on structure and function of mixed-lipid films and pulmonary surfactant BLES: an atomic force microscopy study.

Pulmonary surfactant forms a thin molecular film inside mammalian lung alveoli and lowers the surface tension of the air/fluid interface to reduce the work of breathing. Upon compression functional surfactant forms characteristic multilayer structures, which indicate surfactant surface activity. We showed that cholesterol adversely affects both structural and surface-active properties of BLES surfactant and DPPC/DOPG lipid films.