Computer simulation of water-mediated forces between gel-phase phospholipid bilayers.

Water-mediated forces between gel-phase phospholipid bilayers were calculated as a function of interbilayer separation using the grand canonical Monte Carlo technique and all-atom CHARMM force field. The mechanism of the short-range interbilayer repulsion proved to be similar to that calculated previously for the fluid-phase bilayers despite substantial differences in structure and areal density between the gel and fluid phases.