Effects of sugar concentration on the electroporation, size distribution and average size of charged giant unilamellar vesicles

We investigated the effects of sugar concentration on the electroporation, size distribution and average size of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). GUVs were prepared from 40 mol% of 1,2-dioleoyl- sn -glycero-3-phospho-(1′- rac -glycerol) (DOPG) and 60 mol% of 1, 2-dioleoyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) lipids. Pulsed electric field was applied to the 40%DOPG/60%DOPC-GUVs and it induced lateral electric tension ( σ c ) in the membranes of vesicles. The σ c -induced probability of rupture ( P pore ) and the rate constant of rupture ( k p ) of GUVs under the sugar concentration, c = 40, 100 and 300 mM, were determined. Both the P pore and k p increased with the increase of σ c , but higher tension was required to generate the same values of P pore and k p with increasing c . We also investigated average sizes of GUVs from the size distribution of vesicles under various sugar concentrations. With the increase of c , the peak of the size distribution histograms shifted to the region of smaller vesicles. The average size decreased 1.6-fold when c increased from 10 to 300 mM. These investigations help to understand various biomedical, biophysical, and biochemical processes in vesicles and cells. Graphical abstract Electroporation, size distribution and average size of charged GUVs were investigated under various sugar concentrations. The sugar concentration influences the electroporation of vesicles and the average size of GUVs.