Biophysical Journal 26: 467-487 (1979)
© 1979 the Biophysical Society

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Modification of ion transport in lipid bilayer membranes in the presence of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. II. Suppression of tetraphenylborate conductance and changes of interfacial potentials.

ABSTRACT

It has been shown that the blocking of negatively charged tetraphenylborate ion transport in phosphatidylcholine (PC)-cholesterol membranes by the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is dominated by suppression of TPhB- diffusion across the membrane interior, rather than by the decrease of adsorption of TPhB- ions at the membrane surface. The blocking effect can be associated with the decrease of electric potential inside the membrane with respect to that of the aqueous medium, this decreases being proportional to the concentration of 2,4-D in the aqueous solution. It has been estimated that 25 - 30% of the total 2,4-D-induced change of the potential difference is between the plane of absorption of TPhB- and the aqueous solution, and the remaining fraction is between the membrane interior and the absorption plane. The results of this study support the dipolar hypothesis of 2,4-D action in lipid membranes. These conclusions are further supported by measurements changes of electric potential difference across air/water and air/lipid monolayer/water interfaces. It has been found that the electric potential of the nonpolar side of the interface decreases in the presence of neutral molecules of 2,4-D and that this effect becomes more prominent in presence of electrolyte. We have confirmed that PC-cholesterol monolayer cannot be considered as a model for half of the bilayer membrane because of the disagreement between the changes of the interfacial potential difference of PC-cholesterol monolayers and those determined from studied of transport of positive and negative ions across bilayer membranes. In contract, we have found close agreement between the 2,4-D-induced changes of electric potential of the lipid hydrocarbon region in glycerolmonooleate (GMO) membranes and GMO monolayers. We suggest that the action of 2,4-D in lipid membranes is not associated with the changes of orientation of dipoles of lipids constituting the membranes, but rather with a layer of 2,4-D molecules absorbed at the nonpolar/polar membrane boundary.