Nonpolar gas effect on mechanical properties of lipid bilayer with molecular dynamics simulation

Yi-Xian Chen^1*, Yeng-Long Chen¹

¹Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan

* Presenter:Yi-Xian Chen, email:b00202036@ntu.edu.tw

Small non-polar molecules such as nitrogen, oxygen and noble gas molecules, can penetrate into lipid membranes and cause serious biological effects, such as anesthesia and nitrogen narcosis. The mechanism of these phenomenon still remain unclear. We perform molecular dynamic simulation to investigate how these gas molecular affects the mechanical properties of lipid membrane. In our simulation result, we found that the bending modulus increase when there is gas particle in the membrane and the structure of lipid change. Also, the lateral pressure also increase and it is suggested to connect the functions of cell membranes.

Keywords: lipid bilayer , nonpolar gas , Molecular dynamic simulation