Correlation of membrane / water partition coefficients of detergents with the critical micelle concentration

The membrane/water partition coefficients, K, of 15 electrically neutral (non-charged or zwitterionic) detergents were measured with phospholipid vesicles by using isothermal titration calorimetry, and were compared to the corresponding critical micellar concentrations, cmc. The detergents measured were oligo(ethylene oxide) alkyl ethers (C(m)EO(n) with m = 10/n = 3, 7 and m = 12/n = 3.8); alkylglucosides (octyl, decyl); alkylmaltosides (octyl, decyl, dodecyl); diheptanoylphosphatidylcholine; Tritons (X-100, X-114) and CHAPS. A linear relation between the free energies of partitioning into the membrane and micelle formation was found such that K. CMC approximately 1. The identity K. CMC = 1 was used to classify detergents with respect to their membrane disruption potency. "Strong" detergents are characterized by K. CMC > 1 and solubilize lipid membranes at detergent-to-lipid ratios X(b) > 1 (alkylmaltosides, tritons, heptaethylene glycol alkyl ethers). "Weak" detergents are characterized by K. CMC < 1 and accumulate in the membrane- to detergent-to-lipid ratios X(b) < 1 before the bilayer disintegrates (alkylglucosides, pentaethylene glycol dodecyl ether).