A comparative study of sugar-based surfactants for the solubilization of phosphatidylcholine vesicles

The solubilization of small unilamellar vesicles of egg phosphatidylcholine (PC) by a series of sugar-head surfactants was investigated. The experiments consisted of recording turbidity at 25 degreesC, during continuous addition of surfactant solutions to PC vesicles of different initial concentrations. Surfactant-to-phospholipid molar ratios in the molecular aggregates [Surf/PC](ag), as well as the surfactant concentrations in the aqueous phase [Surf](bulk) were determined at the total micellization stage. The values of [Surf/PC](ag) varied over a factor often, from 0.44 to 5.20, pointing out a significant variability of the solubilizing properties of the sugar derivatives. This was more likely due to the headgroup conformation of the surfactants rather than to their water-solubility. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.