UV-Induced Bursting of Cell-Sized Multicomponent Lipid Vesicles in a Photosensitive Surfactant Solution

We study the behavior of multicomponent giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) in the presence of AzoTAB, a photosensitive surfactant. GUVs are made of an equimolar ratio of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and various amounts of cholesterol (Chol), where the lipid membrane shows a phase separation into a DPPC-rich liquid-ordered (L-o) phase and a DOPC-rich liquid-disordered (L-d) phase. We find that UV illumination at 365 nm for 1 s induces the bursting of a significant fraction of the GUN population. The percentage of UV-induced disrupted vesicles, called bursting rate (Y-burst), increases with an increase in [AzoTAB] and depends on [Chol] in a non-monotonous manner. Y-burst decreases when [Chol] increases from 0 to 10 mol % and then increases with a further increase in [Chol], which can be correlated with the phase composition of the membrane. We show that Y-burst increases with the appearance of solid domains ([Chol] = 0) or with an increase in area fraction of Lo phase (with increasing [Chol] >= 10 mol %). Under our conditions (UV illumination at 365 nm for 1 s), maximal bursting efficiency (Y-burst = 53%) is obtained for [AzoTAB] = 1 mM and [Chol] = 40 mol %. Finally, by restricting the illumination area, we demonstrate the first selective UV-induced bursting of individual target GUVs. These results show a new method to probe biomembrane mechanical properties using light as well as pave the way for novel strategies of light-induced drug delivery.