Temperature dependence of the short-range repulsion between hydrated phospholipid membranes: A computer simulation study

The temperature dependence of the short-range water-mediated repulsive pressure between supported phospholipid membranes is calculated at two intermembrane separations using the grand canonical Monte Carlo technique. At both separations, the simulated pressure tends to decrease with temperature, in qualitative agreement with the experimental measurements by Simon and co-workers [Simon et al., Biophys. J. 69, 1473 (1995)]. The decrease in pressure originates, at least in part, from a slight dehydration of the membranes and the associated reduction in the hydration component of the pressure.