Interaction of polyanions with electroneutral liposomes in a slightly acidic medium

In this study, the interaction between poly(styrene sulfonic acid), polyacrylic acid, poly(meth-acrylic acid), poly(L-glutamic acid), poly(vinyl sulfate), and ternary copolymer of styrene with maleic anhydride and methacrylic acid (3: 2: 1), as well as DNA with lipid vesicles composed of zwitterion (electroneutral) lipid phosphatidylcholine, has been investigated. The methods of centrifuge ultrafiltration and dynamic light scattering reveal that, at pH 4.2, all polyacids under study are effectively adsorbed on the phospholipid membrane. The polymer-membrane complex is stabilized by hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions in addition to electrostatic bonds. Even though, to a greater or lesser extent, all polyacids are capable of undergoing adsorption on the membrane in a slightly acidic medium, their effect on the membrane permeability is substantially different and is correlated with the ability of a polymer to form multiple interactions with phospholipid molecules. Poly(acrylic acid), poly(methacrylic acid), poly(styrene sulfonic acid), and the ternary copolymer of styrene with maleic anhydride and methacrylic acid can produce the membrane pores that are permeable to low-molecular-mass compounds. At the same time, poly(L-glutamic acid), poly(vinyl sulfate), and DNA exert no effect on the membrane permeability, although they are sorbed on the membrane surface.