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. 1979 Oct;76(10):5202-6.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.10.5202.

Evidence for a large internal pressure in biological membranes

M J Conrad, S J Singer

Evidence for a large internal pressure in biological membranes

M J Conrad et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Oct.

Abstract

We have developed a method (hygroscopic desorption) for measuring the binding of small molecules to membranes. With this method, we have found that the binding of the amphipathic compounds chlorpromazine, 2,4-dinitrophenol, and 1-decanol to various cell membranes is remarkably low, with partition coefficients, Kp, no larger than about 0.1. On the other hand, with phospholipid vesicles of large or small diameters, Kp values for these compounds were much larger. The results suggest that there exists in membranes a large internal pressure that excludes the amphipaths from the membranes and that does not exist in phospholipid vesicles.

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