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The hydrolysis reaction of l-, d- and d,l-dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) catalized by bee venom phospholipase A2 was studied in spreading monolayer at the water/air interface. DPPC and the hydrolysis products, palmitic acid and l-lysophosphatidylcholine, palmitoyl were characterized at the interface by means of surface pressure, surface potential and ellipsometric measurements. Furthermore, mixed monolayers of reagents and products were investigated to ascertain their miscibility. The results show that the hydrolysis reaction can be followed by the decrease of surface pressure with time on subphases containing β-cyclodextrin, a well-known complexing agent of many amphiphilic compounds. The order of the reaction, the kinetic constant and other kinetic parameters are deduced. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We studied the interactions of tetracycline (TC) antibiotic molecules with phospholipid monolayers with the two-fold aim of elucidating the mechanism of action and providing a first step for the realization of bio-mimetic sensors for such drugs by means of the Langmuir–Blodgett technique.We examined spreading monolayers of three phospholipids in the presence of tetracycline in the subphase by means of surface pressure–area and surface potential–area isotherms as a function of bulk pH.We selected phospholipids with hydrophobic chains of the same length but polar head groups differing either in dimensions and protonation equilibria, i.e. dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DPPE) and dipalmitoylphosphatidic acid (DPPA).The interaction of tetracycline with the three phospholipids was found to be highly dependent on the electric charge of the antibiotic and on the ionization state of the lipid. Significant interactions are established between the negatively charged form of dipalmitoylphosphatidic acid and the zwitterionic form of tetracycline. The drug was found to migrate at the interface where it is adsorbed underneath or/and among the head groups, depending on the surface pressure of the film, whereas penetration through the hydrophobic layer was excluded for all the three phospholipids. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]