1,2-Dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine

1,2-Dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) is a phospholipid and is commonly used alone, or with other components, in the generation of micelles, liposomes, and other types of artificial membranes. In Vitro: Application of DOPC in biochemical experiments
1. Liposome construction
Drug delivery carrier: DOPC is widely used in liposome preparation due to its high membrane stability and low cytotoxicity. For example, liposomes formed by mixing DOPC and cholesterol (2:1 molar ratio) can efficiently encapsulate hydrophobic drugs (such as paclitaxel) with a drug loading efficiency of more than 85%, and achieve tumor-targeted delivery through enhanced permeability retention (EPR)^[1].
Gene transfection assistance: DOPC is combined with cationic lipids (such as DOTAP) to form lipid complexes, which can reduce the cytotoxicity of cationic lipids and improve the transfection efficiency of plasmid DNA or siRNA^[2].
2. Membrane protein research
Membrane protein reconstitution: DOPC is a commonly used phospholipid for the construction of nanodiscs. Together with membrane scaffold protein (MSP), it forms a phospholipid bilayer structure with a diameter of about 10 nm, providing a natural membrane environment for membrane proteins (such as GPCRs) to maintain their conformation and function^[3].
Electrophysiological studies: DOPC is used to form a planar lipid bilayer (BLM), and combined with the patch clamp technique, the conductivity characteristics and gating mechanism of ion channels (such as potassium channels) are studied^[4].
3. Cell membrane structral studies
Membrane fluidity analysis: DOPC lipid bilayers are labeled with fluorescent probes (such as DPH) to measure their microdomain fluidity and quantify the effect of cholesterol on membrane order (for every 10 mol% increase in cholesterol concentration, membrane fluidity decreases by 15%)^[5].
Molecular interactions: Using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology, the affinity of the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 to DOPC membranes was measured (KD ≈ 1.2×10⁻⁶ M), revealing its membrane damage mechanism^[6].
4. Cell toxicity assessment
Toxicity control: As a neutral phospholipid, DOPC is often used as a negative control to evaluate the cytotoxicity of other lipid nanoparticles (e.g., cationic liposomes)^[7].