| dc.description.abstract | This thesis delves into the ion transport mechanisms of antimicrobial peptides through lipid membranes, examining the effects of peptide and saline concentrations on membrane properties such as structure, shape, and response to osmotic shock. To gain a comprehensive understanding, three distinct experimental approaches were utilized: scattering, electrophysiology, and imaging techniques. The work focus on using simple models roughly mimicking the negative surface of Gram-negative bacterial lipid membranes. These are used to decipher the ion transport capabilities of antimicrobial peptides and their ability in mitigating osmotic shock. Using an electrophysiology technique, specifically suspended planar lipid bilayers, allowed a direct method of detecting ion perturbations through the membrane upon peptide addition. The establishment of a suspended planar lipid bilayer lab, in addition to the development of a consistent protocol for producing functional lipid films, were essential to this research. The findings indicate that the peptide gramicidin forms a membrane-spanning pore, facilitating ion transport. Furthermore, it was found that indolicidin, another peptide, may appear to be involved in an ion-carrying mechanism. Additionally, the thesis demonstrate that small unilamellar liposomes containing water have a structural change under varying saline concentrations, which might be counterbalanced by the introduction of antimicrobial peptides. This discovery and further research could shed light on the capacity of peptides to transport ions across the membrane and alleviate osmotic pressure. This work employed small-angle X-ray scattering in tandem with electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering to explore the morphological changes of liposomes experiencing osmotic pressure. This investigation revealed the size and morphological alterations in liposomes was induced by osmotic pressure. It was found that osmotic shock causes liposomes to transition into a bilamellar structures. This morphological change was found to be alleviated through the ion transport facilitated by antimicrobial peptides. | eng |