Effects of carbohydrate headgroups on the stability of induced cubic phases in binary mixtures of glycolipids

• Published in: Chemistry and physics of lipids 2002-12, Vol.120 (1), p.45-56
• Main Authors: von Minden, H.M, Milkereit, G, Vill, V
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Binary mixtures; Carbohydrates - chemistry; Crystallization; Cubic phases; Diglycerides; Galactose; Glycolipids; Glycolipids - chemistry; Phosphatidylcholines; Structure–property relationships; Temperature
• ISSN: 0009-3084; 1873-2941
• DOI: 10.1016/S0009-3084(02)00102-0

This paper is part in a series of papers, investigating the influence of carbohydrate headgroups on the mesogenic properties of glycolipids. While previous papers focussed on the synthesis and mesogenic properties of the pure compounds, we will discuss here our results obtained with binary mixtures. Mixtures of compounds, one forming a lamellar phase and the other one a columnar phase in their pure state, displayed always an induced cubic phase. The stability of this induced cubic phase depends significantly on the structure of the carbohydrate headgroup of both components. Thus it was possible to derive structure–property relationships by comparison of the phase diagrams that have been obtained, if the carbohydrate headgroup of one component was changed systematically. We observed an interesting effect of galactose headgroups which might be of great biological importance. Furthermore, the observed kind of kinetic of the S A→cub transition might also be of great biological relevance.