Graphene Can Wreak Havoc with Cell Membranes
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces2015Vol. 7(7), pp. 4406–4414
Citations Over TimeTop 10% of 2015 papers
Abstract
Molecular dynamics--coarse grained to the level of hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions--shows that small hydrophobic graphene sheets pierce through the phospholipid membrane and navigate the double layer, intermediate size sheets pierce the membrane only if a suitable geometric orientation is met, and larger sheets lie mainly flat on the top of the bilayer where they wreak havoc with the membrane and create a patch of upturned phospholipids. The effect arises in order to maximize the interaction between hydrophobic moieties and is quantitatively explained in terms of flip-flops by the analysis of the simulations. Possible severe biological consequences are discussed.
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