The large osmotic gradient over the outermost layer of human skin implies major structural changes along the gradient, which in turn affects transport. In particular, the possibility of phase changes introduces a non-linear element to the transport behaviour. We present a novel model membrane system to be used for studying these transport mechanisms, where we use a hydrophobic porous polymer membrane as a scaff...
We investigate how a small polar molecule, urea, can act to protect a phospholipid bilayer system against osmotic stress. Osmotic stress can be caused by a dry environment, by freezing, or by exposure to aqueous systems with high osmotic pressure due to solutes like in saline water. A large number of organisms regularly experience osmotic stress, and it is a common response to produce small polar molecules intr...
In this paper, we demonstrate, for the first time, how an external osmotic gradient can be used to regulate diffusion of solutes across a lipid membrane. We present experimental and theoretical studies of the transport of different solutes across a monoolein membrane in the presence of an external osmotic gradient. The osmotic gradient introduces phase transformations in the membrane, and it causes nonlinear tr...
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