Ultrathin films of lipids to investigate the action of a flavonoid with cell membrane models.

Understanding the role of natural compounds whose pharmaceutical activity is associated with cell membranes is fundamental to comprehending the biochemical processes that occur on membrane surfaces. In this work, we examined the action of 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,5,7-trihydroxy-4H-chromen-4-one, known as quercetin, QCT, in lipid Langmuir monolayers at the air-water interface, which served as a model for half of a membrane. The surface pressure-area isotherms for 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) lipid monolayers exhibited a noticeable shift to higher areas in the presence of the flavonoid, which indicated the incorporation of QCT into the monolayer and expansion of the film.