Investigating the Impact of Alcohol on Lipid Bilayers: Molecular Dynamics and Structural Transitions

Our research aims to resolve the phase transitions that occur when alcohol is introduced into aqueous solutions of DMPC and DOPC lipid at high alcohol volume fractions. Alcohol is known as an effective lipid solubilizer, which is exploited in disinfection and drug delivery. A proper understanding of the phase evolution under these conditions is vital to the development of tailored solvation environments for lipids. While there have been numerous studies on alcohol and lipid at lower concentrations, there is a significant gap in our knowledge of the phase behavior of these concentrated solutions.