DSpace Repository

Effects of Graphene on lipid vesicles: a combination of experiments and simulations

Show simple item record

dc.contributor Reigada Sanz, Ramon
dc.creator Puigpelat Rubio, Elle
dc.date 2018-10-30T17:36:04Z
dc.date 2020-06-30T05:10:22Z
dc.date 2018-06
dc.date.accessioned 2024-12-16T10:26:59Z
dc.date.available 2024-12-16T10:26:59Z
dc.identifier http://hdl.handle.net/2445/125759
dc.identifier.uri http://fima-docencia.ub.edu:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/21714
dc.description Treballs Finals de Grau de Química, Facultat de Química, Universitat de Barcelona, Any: 2018, Tutor: Ramón Reigada Sanz
dc.description Graphene is a carbon-based nanomaterial which has gained popularity in the field of biomedicine and biotechnology because of its exceptional properties. This new interest also unleashed concerns about the possible toxic effects of graphene on living beings. This work is focused on analyzing the interaction between graphene and the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells. For this purpose, simple in vitro lipid vesicles mimicking cell membranes are produced to perform experiments where the interaction can be observed through an optical microscope. Molecular Dynamics simulations have also been performed to understand the interaction at a molecular level. Two types of artificial vesicles have been produced for different purposes. The first type is composed of a binary mixture of lipids (POPC and cholesterol) and it is used to study the interaction with graphene. The results of both experiments and simulations show an attractive interaction and subsequent insertion of graphene inside the lipid bilayer which indicates that the bilayer makes a good solvent for graphene and, thus, a site of graphene bioaccumulation. The second type is composed of a ternary mixture of lipids (DOPC, DPPC and cholesterol), which leads to vesicles with a segregation of two phases that can be distinguished through fluorescence microscopy. It is well known that cell membranes are not homogeneous, in fact, they are composed of domains: a liquid-ordered phase formed by saturated lipids and cholesterol and a liquid-disordered phase formed by unsaturated lipids. The biological complexity of the domains in the cell membrane can be approached by means of the two-phase vesicles which are used to test if graphene has a preference for a specific phase. MD simulations were also performed to study the insertion process of graphene in each phase. Both the experiments and simulations show that graphene has no preference for any of the phases. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the graphene insertion in the liquid-ordered phase takes place in twice the time of the insertion in the liquid-disordered phase
dc.format 49 p.
dc.format application/pdf
dc.language eng
dc.rights cc-by-nc-nd (c) Puigpelat, 2018
dc.rights http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/
dc.rights info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.source Treballs Finals de Grau (TFG) - Química
dc.subject Grafè
dc.subject Bicapes lipídiques
dc.subject Dinàmica molecular
dc.subject Treballs de fi de grau
dc.subject Graphene
dc.subject Lipid bilayers
dc.subject Molecular dynamics
dc.subject Bachelor's theses
dc.title Effects of Graphene on lipid vesicles: a combination of experiments and simulations
dc.title Efecte del grafè en vesícules lipídiques: combinació d’experiments i simulacions
dc.type info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis


Files in this item

Files Size Format View

There are no files associated with this item.

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record

Search DSpace


Advanced Search

Browse

My Account