The microcalorimetry of lipid membranes

Insight into the forces governing a system is essential for understanding its behaviour and function. Calorimetric investigations provide a wealth of information that is not, or is hardly, available by other methods. This paper reviews calorimetric approaches and assays for the study of lipid vesicles (liposomes) and biological membranes. With respect to the instrumentation, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), pressure perturbation calorimetry (PPC), isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and water sorption calorimetry are considered. Applications of these techniques to lipid systems include the measurement of thermodynamic parameters and a detailed characterization of the thermotropic, barotropic, and lyotropic phase behaviour. The membrane binding or partitioning of solutes (proteins, peptides, drugs, surfactants, ions, etc) can also be quantified. Many calorimetric assays are available for studying the effect of proteins and other additives on membranes, characterizing non-ideal mixing, domain formation, stability, curvature strain, permeability, solubilization, and fusion. Studies of membrane proteins in lipid environments elucidate lipid–protein interactions in membranes. The systems are described in terms of enthalpic and entropic forces, equilibrium constants, heat capacities, partial volume changes etc, shedding light also on the stability of structures and the molecular origin and mechanism of structural changes.