Research

Research includes:

• engineering of model biomembranes, which refers to their preparation by developing new and improving existing protocols. The most important feature of the new model biomembranes is the asymmetry caused by the different lipid composition in the inner and outer membrane layers, as well as the asymmetry caused by the presence of (lipo)peptides embedded or adsorbed on the lipid bilayer.

• characterization of prepared model biomembranes by standard techniques and as a development of those that have not been used for this purpose before, especially by using FTIR, UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy.

• indispensable implementation of computational molecular dynamics (MD) techniques.

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Two types of asymmetric biomembranes are primarily prepared and researched:

• Myelin membranes. Although the process of axon de- and remyelination takes place in  under physiological and pathological conditions, demyelination, i.e. flowering of myelin, was observed in myelin with a higher amount of phosphoethanolamine lipid (phosphoethanolamine, PE) in the inner membrane layer, as well as with a lower concentration of myelin basic protein (MBP).

• (Lipo)peptide membranes. Although it is known that certain peptides have antimicrobial properties and are effective in the fight against various pathogens by destroying their membranes, less is known and it is quite unclear how peptides can influence the (a)symmetrization of model lipid membranes, i.e. the maintenance of asymmetry.