Massive oxidation of phospholipid membranes leads to pore creation and bilayer disintegration

Oxidation processes in membranes accompany various pathological conditions in organisms, nevertheless the influence of oxidation on the membrane structure is still poorly understood. Here we monitored the time evolution of a massively oxidized dioleoylphosphatidylcholine membrane in molecular dynamics simulations. Oxidation destabilized the membrane and, depending on its extent and type, in some cases even destroyed its structure. Creation of stable pores was observed as a direct consequence of oxidation and we describe here the molecular mechanisms of their formation.