Mixed Mechanism of Lubrication by Lipid Bilayer Stacks
- Publication date
- 2015
- Publisher
Abstract
Although the key role of lipid bilayer
stacks in biological lubrication
is generally accepted, the mechanisms underlying their extreme efficiency
remain elusive. In this article, we report molecular dynamics simulations
of lipid bilayer stacks undergoing load and shear. When the hydration
level is reduced, the velocity accommodation mechanism changes from
viscous shear in hydration water to interlayer sliding in the bilayers.
This enables stacks of hydrated lipid bilayers to act as efficient
boundary lubricants for various hydration conditions, structures,
and mechanical loads. We also propose an estimation for the friction
coefficient; thanks to the strong hydration forces between lipid bilayers,
the high local viscosity is not in contradiction with low friction
coefficients