Small structural alterations greatly influence the membrane affinity of lipophilic ligands: Membrane interactions of bafilomycin A1 and its desmethyl derivative bearing 19F-labeling.

Molecular behavior under bilayer membrane environments is one of the important research topics concerning how organic molecules exert their biological activities when interacting with cellular membranes. However, chemistry-based approaches to this property have not been successful when compared with the structural biological strategy on ligand-receptor interactions. Here, we investigated the molecular behavior of the lipophilic ATPase inhibitor bafilomycin A1 and its derivatives under a lipid environment from a chemical point of view. Our results revealed significant differences in membrane affinity and dynamics among ligands having different inhibitory potencies, suggesting the specific contribution of ligand-membrane interactions to their biological activity.