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Analysis of the Head bonding Interactions of DPPC and DPPE

Introduction

After numerous trials that investigate the interactions that occur between DPPC and DPPE, there have been shown to be interactions that occur that affect the packing of the phospholipid membrane due to the molecules. These interactions affect the packing and qualities of the membrane which affects how it will act in a true cellular membrane. An understanding of this interaction could aid in understanding the intramembranous interactions that help to maintain the stability of the phospholipid bilayer. It is likely that the difference in interactions is due to the head group difference in these molecules which affects the way that the molecules will interact with each other when compressed.

DPPE Head Group

There are two main regions associated with phospholipids, the head group, and the tail group. The head group is the hydrophilic region which is composed of numerous oxygens, a phosphate group, and other R-Groups. This region will orient towards the outside of a cell membrane. The tail group is the hydrophobic region and is composed of long hydrocarbon chains. These can be either saturated or unsaturated which are either fully bonded with hydrogens in the case of a saturated tail or have a double bond in the case of an unsaturated tail. These two regions are the main areas that inter-membraneous interactions occur between adjacent phospholipids and therefore can provide invaluable information about what is happening to a membrane when a compound, such as CBD, is introduced.