Dependence of bicellar system phase behavior and dynamics on anionic lipid concentration.

Bicellar dispersions of chain perdeuterated 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC-d54) and 1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DHPC) were prepared with the molar fraction of DHPC held fixed at 20% and varying amounts of DMPC replaced by the anionic lipid 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'-rac-glycerol) (DMPG). (2)H NMR spectra were examined to assess the effect of added DMPG on mixture phase behavior and morphology. Quadrupole echo decay and quadrupole-Carr-Purcell-Mieboom-Gill echo train measurements provided information about slow motions contributing to echo decay in the high temperature phases. The spectra and quadrupole echo decay properties of DMPC-d54/DHPC (4:1) and DMPC-d54/DMPG/DHPC (3:1:1) were qualitatively similar. With increasing DMPG concentration, the transition between the magnetically orientable phase and the higher temperature phase became increasingly distinct, and the spectral shape and echo decay characteristics of the high temperature bicellar phase became increasingly similar to those of DMPC-d54 in the liquid crystalline phase. The observation that DMPG changes spectra in the orientable phase incrementally while increasing the distinction between the orientable and high temperature bicellar phases provides new insights into how DMPG influences bicellar mixture morphology.