Abstract

Cholapods are steroid-based synthetic anion transporters derived from cholic acid that bind anions with high affinity and promote their efflux from liposomes. To understand better cholapod-mediated anion transport, we studied the cholapods AS09, LJ09 and TL145 in planar lipid bilayers, single cells and polarised epithelia. When compared with AS09, LJ09 has higher anion affinity, whereas TL145 has greater lipid solubility. In planar lipid bilayers, cholapod-mediated currents relaxed to a steady-state after an initial peak when membrane voltage was stepped.