Partial volumes of cholesterol and monounsaturated diacylphosphatidylcholines in mixed bilayers

Abstract Dispersions of multilamellar liposomes prepared from monounsaturated diacylphosphatidylcholines having 18–24 carbons and from varying amounts of cholesterol were studied by densitometry. Ideal mixing of the studied phosphatidylcholines with cholesterol in the fluid phase was observed. The temperature dependence of partial volumes of both phosphatidylcholines and cholesterol was determined. A slight decrease in the partial volume of cholesterol with the lengthening of the acyl chain of the host phosphatidylcholine was observed. By measuring the density of multilamellar liposomes of dinervonoylposphatidylcholine and cholesterol below the main phase transition temperature, the phase boundary between the solid ordered phase and the area of coexistence of the solid ordered and liquid ordered phases was detected.