Sr. Letellier et al., ORIENTED GROWTH OF CALCIUM-OXALATE MONOHYDRATE CRYSTALS BENEATH PHOSPHOLIPID MONOLAYERS, Biochimica et biophysica acta (G). General subjects, 1380(1), 1998, pp. 31-45
Oriented calcium oxalate crystals have been grown beneath phospholipid
monolayers at the air-solution interface from supersaturated calcium
oxalate solutions. Mature calcium oxalate crystals grown beneath zwitt
erionic dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) monolayers exhibit the c
haracteristic morphology of calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) crystals
with the elongated ((1) over bar 01) crystal face preferentially orie
nted parallel to the plane of the monolayer. Calcium oxalate crystals
grown beneath negatively-charged dimyristoylphosphatidylserine (DMPS)
monolayers also show a preferential orientation with respect to the mo
nolayer; they do not, however, exhibit the characteristic COM morpholo
gy. Raman spectroscopy strongly suggests that the crystals grown benea
th either DPPC or DMPS monolayers are the monohydrate phase of calcium
oxalate; therefore, differences in crystal morphology are not due to
differences in the crystalline phase. Dimyristoylphosphatidylethanolam
ine (DMPE), dimyristoylphosphatidic acid (DMPA), eicosanoic acid (C-20
), and eicosanol (C-20-OH) monolayers have also been studied to help e
lucidate the mechanisms of interaction between the lipid monolayers an
d the calcium oxalate crystals. We discuss the roles of lattice matchi
ng, hydrogen bonding, stereochemistry and electrostatics on crystal or
ientation and morphology. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.