6533b7ddfe1ef96bd1273e77

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Interaction of quinine with negatively charged lipid vesicles studied by fluorescence spectroscopy Influence of the pH

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Abstract The interaction of quinine with dimyristoylphosphatidic acid (DMPA) and dimyristoylphosphatidyl glycerol (DMPG) small unilamellar vesicles in the gel phase was studied by steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy at pHs 7, 6, 5 and 4 and 20°C. In aqueous solution, with excitation at 335 nm, the emission fluorescence spectrum of quinine varied with pH reflecting the occurrence of different charged species of the drug. In all cases, the emission maximum centered at 383 or 443 nm shifted to lower wavelength in the presence of vesicles. This indicates that the membrane-bound state quinine is in an environment of low polarity. Drug monocationic species were deeply buried in DMPG relative to DMPA bilayers whereas no significant differences were observed for dicationic species, the fluorophore being located in this case in a more aqueous-like environment. Experimental association isotherms generated from fluorescence intensity changes were quantitatively analyzed in terms of the binding equilibrium model. Although the binding affinity of quinine to anionic membranes was always higher for DMPG over DMPA, dicationic species showed a reduced ability to bind the negatively charged membrane. In addition, the binding model has been related with the partition model leading to a good agreement between the theoretical (calculated from the binding model) and the experimental (from the initial slope of the experimental isotherms) partition coefficient derived in each case.