Effects of ionic liquids on biomembranes: A review on recent biophysical studies.

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been emerged as a versatile class of compounds that can be easily tuned to achieve desirable properties for various applications. The ability of ILs to interact with biomembranes has attracted significant interest, as they have been shown to modulate membrane properties in ways that may have implications for various biological processes. This review provides an overview of recent studies that have investigated the interaction between ILs and biomembranes. We discuss the effects of ILs on the physical and chemical properties of biomembranes, including changes in membrane fluidity, permeability, and stability. We also explore the mechanisms underlying the interaction of ILs with biomembranes, such as electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, and van der Waals forces. Additionally, we discuss the future prospects of this field. [Display omitted] • Interaction of ionic liquids with cellular membrane is favourable due to enhanced system entropy and reduced free energy. • Ionic liquids perturb the self-assembly of lipids in a cellular membrane. • Ionic liquids modify the mechano-elasticity of a cellular membrane. • Dynamics of lipids in a membrane at the presence of ionic liquids are altered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]