Interaction of Carbohydrates with Phosphatidylcholine Inverse Micelles

Small angle X-ray scattering experiments indicate that egg phosphatidylcholine dissolved in benzene at a concentration of 12–50 mM organizes into approximately isometric inverse micelles with a size that depends upon the amount of water present. These inverse micelles can serve as self-assembled hosts for monosaccharide derivatives. For a given amount of water, addition of carbohydrates causes an increase in the micelle size. In contrast, cyclohexane solutions of egg phosphatidylcholine contain highly anisotropic structures, possibly elongated rods. Monosaccharide derivatives can be extracted into these structures and are bound, at low water content, to the polar head groups. Upon addition of water the sugar is probably displaced from the polar head groups and gains some motional freedom in the water pool which is formed. This fact indicates that the polar head group of phosphatidylcholine interacts, probably by means of hydrogen bond formation, with monosaccharides and brings about their solubilization in nonpolar solvents.