Micellar properties of quillaja saponin. 2. Effect of solubilized cholesterol on solution properties

The interaction between cholesterol and the surfactant quillaja saponin has been investigated by measuring the effect of cholesterol on surface and micellar properties of quillaja saponin solutions. The aggregation properties of cholesterol in water were studied using fluorescent probe methods, with results indicating that cholesterol alone does not form micelles in aqueous solution. However, surface tension, dye solubilization, and light scattering measurements show that cholesterol and saponin mixtures do form micelles at well-defined critical micelle concentrations (cmc). The cmc for saponin solutions saturated with cholesterol was generally higher than that for saponin alone, with the extent of the increase dependent on the source - and most likely the composition - of the saponin. The addition of salt decreases the cmc values, while temperature dependence of these values is more complex. Surface adsorption studies show that cholesterol preferentially adsorbs at the air/water interface, forming a closely-packed monolayer, but that saponin can partially displace the cholesterol at high saponin concentrations. Finally, the size, intrinsic viscosity and the aggregation number of the cholesterol/saponin micelles are larger than those of saponin micelles alone, with the radius of the micelles between 20 and 40% larger at 298 K. These results indicate that cholesterol most likely solubilizes within quillaja saponin micelles, and in the process has a substantial impact on the micelle structure and the energetics of micelle formation. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.