Effects of shock waves on biological membranes: a molecular dynamics study

This paper presents an investigation of the effects of shock waves on biological membranes using molecular dynamics simulations. The effects of shock impulses of increasing intensity on a lipid membrane are investigated with respect to changes of the membrane thickness, membrane volume, order parameter, and diffusion trend. More importantly, the study shows that shock waves increase the permeability of the membrane, thereby facilitating molecular diffusion through the membrane. This can potentially have important effects on enhanced drug efficiency, chemotherapeutic effects in anticancer drug delivery, and further applications in gene therapy.