X-ray studies on phospholipid bilayers. XI. Interactions with chloramphenicol.

Chloramphenicol is a widely used antibiotic with low levels of toxicity. However, scanning electron microscopy revealed morphological changes in human erythrocytes when they interacted in vitro with therapeutical concentrations of chloramphenicol. To explain this shape change, a study concerned with the possible interactions of this antibiotic with bilayers built-up of phospholipids located in either side of the red cell membrane was performed by X-ray diffraction. Results indicated that chloramphenicol was unable to perturb in any significant extent the structure of the phospholipids under study. The only noticeable effects were phase transitions produced to dimyristoylphosphatidylethanolamine bilayers.