Photophysical and Structural Characterization of Intrinsically Fluorescent Sterol Aggregates

Self-association of cholesterol into aggregates and crystals is a hallmark of developing atherosclerosis. Intrinsically fluorescent sterols, such as dehydroergosterol (DHE), can be used to study sterol aggregation by fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy, but a thorough understanding of DHE’s pho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of physical chemistry. B 2021-06, Vol.125 (22), p.5838-5852
Main Authors: Reinholdt, Peter, Joensen, Lütje E, Petersen, Daniel, Szomek, Maria, Mularski, Anna, Simonsen, Adam Cohen, Kongsted, Jacob, Wüstner, Daniel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
B: Biomaterials and Membranes
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Summary:Self-association of cholesterol into aggregates and crystals is a hallmark of developing atherosclerosis. Intrinsically fluorescent sterols, such as dehydroergosterol (DHE), can be used to study sterol aggregation by fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy, but a thorough understanding of DHE’s photophysical and structural properties in the aggregated state is missing. Here, we show that DHE forms submicron fluorescent aggregates when evaporated from an ethanol solution. Using atomic force microscopy, we find that DHE, like cholesterol, forms compact oblate-shape aggregates of
ISSN:1520-6106
1520-5207
DOI:10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c00628