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@ARTICLE{Philipp:640496,
author = {Philipp, Julian and Sudarsan, Akhil and Kostyurina,
Ekaterina and Meklesh, Viktoriia and Berglund, Monica and
Rappolt, Michael and Westergren, Jan and Lindfors, Lennart
and Schwierz, Nadine and Rädler, Joachim O.},
title = {{C}ombining {SAXS} analysis and {MD} simulation to
determine structure and hydration of ionizable lipid
hexagonal phases},
journal = {Soft matter},
volume = {21},
number = {41},
issn = {1744-683X},
address = {London},
publisher = {Royal Soc. of Chemistry},
reportid = {PUBDB-2025-04818},
pages = {8049 - 8059},
year = {2025},
abstract = {Cationic ionizable lipids (CILs) are fundamental components
of inverse hexagonal (HII) lipid assemblies, which mediate
the encapsulation and release of negatively charged mRNA
through a pH-dependent mechanism. Since variations in the
structure and composition of the HII phases can
significantly impact the biological efficacy of the
mRNA-carrying lipid nanoparticles (LNP), a comprehensive
understanding of the ionizable lipid HII phases is
necessary. We present an integrated approach combining
small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments, molecular
dynamics (MD) simulations and a continuum model to elucidate
lipid distribution and water content within HII phases. Our
results indicate strong agreement between structures derived
from MD simulations and SAXS data. To this end, we introduce
a method to correct for periodic boundary artifacts when
computing scattering profiles from MD simulations. This
enables direct, model-free comparisons between experimental
and simulated data, enhancing the reliability of structural
interpretations, specifically the water content of the HII
phases. Next, we developed a continuum model to extend
structural analysis to CIL HII phases for which MD data is
unavailable. This integrative framework not only provides
molecular-level insights into the ionizable lipid HII
mesophase but also enables the prediction of hydration
properties across different CIL compositions. The different
approaches consistently yield water contents that seem to
correlate with the lipids’ transfection efficiencies. By
bridging experimental and simulation data, our approach
offers a powerful tool for the rational design and
optimization of lipid nanoparticles, potentially linking a
lower water content with an increased therapeutic
performance.},
cin = {EMBL-User},
ddc = {530},
cid = {I:(DE-H253)EMBL-User-20120814},
pnm = {6G3 - PETRA III (DESY) (POF4-6G3) / DFG project
G:(GEPRIS)440719683 - Hochleistungscompute-Cluster
(440719683) / SINE2020 - World class Science and Innovation
with Neutrons in Europe 2020 – SINE2020 (654000)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-6G3 / G:(GEPRIS)440719683 /
G:(EU-Grant)654000},
experiment = {EXP:(DE-H253)P-P12-20150101 / EXP:(DE-H253)P-P62-20221101},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)16},
doi = {10.1039/D5SM00666J},
url = {https://bib-pubdb1.desy.de/record/640496},
}