Abstract
In order to characterize the permeability of small unilamellar vesicles (SUV), efflux of 6-carboxyfluorescein (6-CF) from the vesicles was monitored spectrophotofluorometrically. Since the entrapped highly quenched 6-CF (200 mM) became fluorescent upon release from the vesicles, the 6-CF could be used as an efflux probe. SUV containing entrapped 6-CF was prepared from egg phosphatidylcholine and separated by gel filtration on Sepharose 4B. Observed change of relative fluorescent intensity with time was sigmoidal. From this curve, the parameter of permeability was determined either by half-time or a released amount per unit time from the initial slope. Half-time of efflux of prepared SUV having 302 ng phospholipid/ml in 10 mM Tris-HCl buffer pH 7.4 was 21.0 min at $37{\circ}C$. Various factors which could affect the half-time were examined including temperature, pH, salt, and vesicle concentration. In particular the effect of vesicle concentration on the efflux revealed that the permeability can be a function of the concentration.