Open AccessDisperse Orange 3 as a resonance Raman probe for measuring membrane order
Author(s) -
Numakura Yuki,
Miura Takashi
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
febs open bio
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.718
H-Index - 31
ISSN - 2211-5463
DOI - 10.1016/j.fob.2015.10.008
Subject(s) - raman spectroscopy , membrane , resonance (particle physics) , chemistry , phosphatidylcholine , azobenzene , raman scattering , phase transition , orange (colour) , methyl orange , liquid crystalline , phase (matter) , analytical chemistry (journal) , crystallography , chromatography , molecule , phospholipid , organic chemistry , optics , thermodynamics , biochemistry , physics , food science , particle physics , photocatalysis , catalysis
Resonance Raman spectra of azobenzene derivatives were examined in the presence of lipid membranes to find a probe that can distinguish different membrane phases. The NO 2 symmetric stretching band of 4‐(4‐nitrophenylazo)aniline, also known as Disperse Orange 3 (DO3), is downshifted by about 4 cm −1 on the phase transition of phosphatidylcholine membranes from the liquid crystalline to the gel phase. A comparable downshift also occurs when DO3 is bound to cholesterol‐containing membranes in the liquid‐ordered phase. Our results demonstrate that Raman spectrum of DO3 is a unique tool for measuring the molecular order of lipids in membranes.