Monosaccharides (fructose, glucose) and disaccharides (sucrose, trehalose) influence the elasticity of SOPC membranes

The elasticity of SOPC lipid membranes in presence of monosaccharides (fructose, glucose) and disaccharides (sucrose, trehalose) was studied by thermally induced shape fluctuations of giant quasi-spherical vesicles. The vesicles were prepared in aqueous solutions with different sugar concentrations (0-400mM), using an electro-formation technique. Stroboscopic illumination was applied in order to remove the video camera integration time smearing. The experimental results show that all the sugars studied influence the bending elasticity Ice of SOPC membranes. The strength of the effect depends on the type of the sugar and its concentration.