Membrane Fusion Induced by Small Molecules and Ions

Table 2

Relation of the fusogenic molecules with its threshold concentration and size. For the determination of the length and width of the molecules, all the geometries are minimized using a semiempirical level of theory, Austin Model 1 (AM1) using GAUSSIAN 03 [128]. AM1 is based on a modified neglect of differential overlap (MNDO) approximation [129].

Molecules	Length (in nm)	Width (in nm)	Molecule-to-lipid ratio at threshold concentration	Vesicle size
Abscisic acid	1.04	0.68	0.125	MLV (~1000 nm)
𝑛-hexyl bromide	0.88	0.25	0.050	SUV (30-40 nm)
Ethanol	0.40	0.23
Halothane	0.42	0.30	10.0	LUV (~500 nm)
Meloxicam	1.43	0.60	0.018	SUV (50-60 nm)
Piroxicam	1.38	0.61	0.018	SUV (50-60nm)
Tenoxicam	1.23	0.54	0.018	SUV (50-60 nm)
Chlorpromazine	1.06	1.01		6000-8000 nm