Animal cell membrane

The animal cell membrane is a dynamic lipid bilayer that serves as the primary boundary between the intracellular and extracellular environments (Alberts et al., 2002). It is composed of phospholipids, integral and peripheral proteins, and cholesterol, the latter of which is essential for maintaining structural integrity and regulating fluidity across varying temperatures (Maxfield & van Meer, 2010). Cholesterol also facilitates the assembly of lipid rafts—specialized microdomains that organize signaling molecules and influence cellular processes such as endocytosis and signal transduction (Simons & Ikonen, 1997). In pharmacology, the membrane is a critical target for polyene antibiotics and various toxins that exploit sterol content to induce pore formation or membrane lysis (Baginski & Tugnoli, 2005). However, the high prevalence of cholesterol in human tissues poses a significant challenge for drug selectivity, often leading to adverse effects like hemolysis and organ toxicity (Baginski & Tugnoli, 2005; Maxfield & van Meer, 2010).

Other names

Plasma membraneCytoplasmic membraneLipid bilayerCholesterol-containing membraneCholesterol-containing animal cell membrane

Sterol-mediated pore formation, cholesterol sequestration, and membrane permeabilization (Baginski & Tugnoli, 2005; Maxfield & van Meer, 2010)