Abstract
In view of the possible medical applications of saponins, the molecular structure of a GOTCAB saponin from the roots of Gypsophila paniculata L. was determined by NMR. The biological activity of saponins may depend on the interaction with cell membranes. To obtain more insight in the mechanism of membrane-related saponin function, an experimental and theoretical study was conducted. Ternary lipid systems composed of sphingomyelin, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, and cholesterol were used as models of mammalian cell membranes. The membrane-saponin interaction was studied experimentally by monitoring surface pressure in the monomolecular films formed at the air-aqueous subphase interface. The behavior of GOTCAB saponin in a water box and model monolayer systems was characterized by molecular dynamics simulations. The results obtained showed that, in the systems used, cholesterol had a decisive effect on the interaction between GOTCAB and phosphocholine or sphingomyelin as well as on its location within the lipid film.