The effect of methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine on the behaviour of lipid monolayers at the air-water interface

Monolayers of DPPE and its N-methylated derivatives including DPPC have been investigated at 23 and 37 degrees C using a modified Langmuir-Wilhelmy surface balance. The monolayers have been subjected to dynamic compression and expansion, and some characteristics of the surfaces have been determined. The minimum surface tension attained by surfaces containing the lipids (maximum surface pressures sustained by the films) depended on the extent of methylation of the head group. Monolayers of DPPE or N-MeDPPE collapsed at surface tensions of 12-16 mN.m-1, whereas those containing N,N-diMeDPPE and DPPC could be compressed to near zero surface tension. The areas per molecule occupied by these lipids under high compression varied slightly and not systematically with head-group methylation. Monolayers containing mixtures of DPPC and DPPE were also studied under the same conditions. The monolayers showed some deviation from the behaviour expected if they were to have characteristics of ideally mixed systems. The minimum surface tensions attained suggested that monolayers containing 50 mol% or more DPPC might be further enriched during compression by some selective exclusion of the DPPE. At high surface pressures, some positive deviations in nominal areas per molecule from that expected for ideal mixing were observed in the monolayers made with 50 mol% or more DPPC. These deviations might be caused by packing disruptions associated with the explosion of lipid from the films.