Tuning the response of a pH-sensitive membrane switch

Abstract

We have shown that the hydrophobic polyelectrolyte poly-(2-ethylacrylic acid) (PEAA, 1) causes destabilization of lipid bilayer membranes at pH 6.55 or lower and that this pH-sensitive [compound 1] response can be used to trigger release of hydrophilic compounds entrapped in liposomes. Responsive membrane systems are finding increasingly important applications in drug delivery, signal amplification in biochemical assay, and molecular recognition.