Water Permeability through the Lipid Bilayers Suspended over Microwells on Si Substrates

Abstract

We propose the system to analyze water permeability through the lipid bilayer. The lipid bilayer suspended over microwells changes its shape when the difference of osmotic pressure is formed by solution exchange. When the solution concentration outside the microwell is lower than the inside, water permeates through the lipid bilayer membrane and bulges outward. The interference fringes observed in the suspended lipid bilayer allowed us to accurately analyze its structural changes. Water permeability through the lipid bilayer could be accurately estimated based on analysis of the changes in the interference fringes observed in the suspended lipid bilayer caused by the solution exchange.