Structural transition in micelles: novel insight into microenvironmental changes in polarity and dynamics

Structural transitions involving shape changes play an important role in cellular physiology. Such transition can be conveniently induced in charged micelles by increasing ionic strength of the medium. Shape changes have recently been shown to result in altered packing and lowering of micellar polarity. As a consequence of reduced polarity, the ionization states of micelle-bound molecules vary in micelles of different shape. The changes in micellar organization and dynamics due to structural transition can be effectively monitored utilizing the red edge excitation shift (REES). These changes are influenced by the position (location) of the probe in the micelle, i.e., the region of the micelle being monitored. Changes in organization and dynamics of probes and peptides upon structural transition are discussed with representative examples. We envisage that the reduction in micellar polarity and tighter packing upon structural transition represent important factors in the incorporation of drugs in micelles (nano-carriers), since micellar polarity plays a crucial role in the incorporation of drugs. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.