Investigation of anion binding to neutral lipid membranes using 2H NMR.

The binding of aqueous anions (ClO4-, SCN-, I-, and NO3-) to lipid bilayer membranes composed of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) was investigated using deuterium (2H) and phosphorus-31 (31P) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The ability of these anions to influence the 2H NMR quadrupole splittings of POPC, specifically labeled at the alpha or beta position of the choline head group, increased in the order NO3- much less than I- less than SCN- less than ClO4-. In the presence of these chaotropic anions, the quadrupole splitting increased for alpha-deuterated POPC and decreased for beta-deuterated POPC, indicating a progressive accumulation of negative charge at the membrane surface. Calibration of the 2H NMR quadrupole splittings with the amount of membrane-bound anion permitted binding isotherms to be generated for perchlorate, thiocyanate, and iodide, up to concentrations of 100 mM. The binding isotherms were analyzed by considering electrostatic contributions, according to the Gouy-Chapman theory, as well as chemical equilibrium contributions. For neutral POPC membranes, we obtained ion association constants of 32, 80, and 115 M-1 for iodide, thiocyanate, and perchlorate, respectively. These values increase in the order expected for a Hofmeister series of anions. We conclude that the factor determining whether a particular anion will bind to lipid bilayers is the ease with which that anion loses its hydration shell.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)