Release and formation of surface-localized ionic clusters (SLICs) into phospholipid rafts from colloidal solutions during coalescence.

Stimuli-responsive behavior of phospholipids in the presence of ionic surfactants utilized in synthesis of MMA/nBA colloidal particles was investigated. Utilizing 1-myristoyl-2-hydroxy-sn-glycero-phosphocholine (MHPC) phospholipid, and sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate (SDOSS) surfactant as dispersing media in H(2)O, narrow unimodal particle size distributions of methyl methacrylate (MMA)/n-butyl acrylate (nBA) copolymers were synthesized. The particle diameters were 154 nm when a SDOSS/MHPC mixture was used and 161 nm using MHPC as the only surface-stabilizing species. When such colloidal dispersions are exposed to 1.7, 3.3, and 6.7 mM aqueous CaCl(2) and KCl electrolyte solutions, surface-localized ionic clusters are generated at the film-air interface that may serve as lipid rafts composed of crystalline phases of MHPC deposited on poly(MMA)/nBA films. These studies illustrate that it is possible to control release and morphology developments of surface phospholipid rafts on artificial surfaces.