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Digitonin is a strong hemolysin and glycyrrhizin has protective activity against the deterring effect of other hemolytic saponins. The interaction of these saponins with liposomes was studied as a function of cholesterol in membrane. In the case of multilamellar vesicles, which act as ideal osmometers, digitonin disrupted the barrier function of liposomes composed of phosphatidyl choline, dicetyl phosphate and cholesterol, however, did not influence on cholesterol-lacking liposomes. Glycyrrhizin had similar effect on liposomes irrespective of cholesterol in membrane. In the test with large unilamellar vesicles, digitonin increased the lysis with increasing cholesterol content in membrane, but glycyrrhizin showed no detectable change in cholesterol-containing liposomes. These results suggest that incorporation of cholesterol into liposomes increases the susceptibility to digitonin, resulting in lysis of liposomes, and that the inhibitory effect of glycyrrhizin against other hemolytic saponins is cholesterol independent.
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