Lipid Packing in Cell Membrane and Intracellular Delivery

Abstract

When membrane curvature or stretch is induced by extracellular or intracellular factors, the spacing between lipid heads should widen and the hydrophobic core region of the membrane should become more exposed to the membrane surface. By focusing on the interaction of this hydrophobic core with appropriate amphiphilic molecules, a unique method of membrane structural transformation and its application are expected. In this paper, we would like to consider the interaction mode of peptides with the cell membrane upon membrane structural transformation from the viewpoint of intracellular delivery applications, using octaarginine and L17E peptides developed in our laboratory as examples.