Headgroups lipid, phospholipid monolayer

The phospholipid monolayers examined in this study were all saturated, symmetric, 1,2-diacyl-j -glycero-3-phosphate-based lipids. Four different lipid headgroups attached to the phosphate were examined choline, ethanolamine, glycerol and serine. Each lipid features a glycerol backbone, two saturated fatty acid chains and a phosphatidyl headgroup. 

A biological membrane is a structure particularly suitable for study by the LB technique. The eukaryotic cell membrane is a barrier that serves as a highway and controls the transfer of important molecules in and out of the cell (Roth etal., 2000). The cell membrane consists of a bilayer or a two-layer LB film (Tien etal, 1998). Lipid bilayers are composed of a variety of amphiphilic molecules, mainly phospholipids and sterols which in turn consist of a hydrophobic tail, and a hydrophilic headgroup. The complexity of the biomembrane is such that frequently simpler systems are used as models for physical investigations. They are based on the spontaneous self-organization of the amphiphilic lipid molecules when brought in contact with an aqueous medium. The three most frequently used model systems are monolayers, black lipid membranes, and vesicles or liposomes. 

Two phospholipids, one saturated and one polymerizable, containing iminodiacetic acid functionality linked to their phosphate headgroup are synthesized to build metal chelated lipid assemblies. These lipids were non-ideally miscible with analogous phosphatidylcholine as determined by monolayer studies at air/water interface. The metal chelating lipids produced vesicles when mixed with polymerizable... 

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