Electric field increases the phase transition temperature in the bilayer membrane of phosphatidic acid.

The effect of the electric field on the phase transition temperature (Tc) of acidic 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphate (DPPA) and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-thionphosphate (thion-DPPA) and zwitterion, i.e. 1,2-dipalmitoyl-rac-3-phosphocholine and 1,2-distearoyl-rac-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC and DSPC), lipids has been investigated. The phase transition was detected using the jump-like increase effect in the conductance of the planar bilayer membrane. A voltage increase to 150 mV has been shown to increase the phase transition temperature in a bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) of phosphatidic acids (DPPA and thion-DPPA) by 8-12 degrees C while the transition temperature in the bilayer of zwitterion lipids (DPPC and DSPC) increases insignificantly. The increasing of Tt in BLM of acidic lipids is attributed to the voltage-induced changes in the molecule packing density.