Experimental observations in lipid monolayers at the air-water interface have demonstrated that solitary sound pulses can be excited. These pulses propagate electrical, chemical, and thermal variations in addition to the mechanical changes in lateral pressure and lipid density, and can interact with nearby ions, polymers, and water. In addition, it was demonstrated that sound pulses that reversibly traverse the melting transition between the so-called liquid-expanded and liquid-condensed phases display unusual nonlinear properties that are strikingly similar to those of action potentials in living cells. This review describes recent experimental and theoretical investigations of sound in lipid membranes and their potential function in biology.

对空气-水界面脂质单层的实验观察表明，可以激发单独的声音脉冲。除了侧压和脂质密度的机械变化外，这些脉冲还会传播电、化学和热变化，并且可以与附近的离子、聚合物和水相互作用。此外，还证明了可逆地穿过所谓的液体膨胀相和液体浓缩相之间的熔化转变的声音脉冲显示出异常的非线性特性，这些特性与活细胞中的动作电位非常相似。这篇综述描述了最近关于脂质膜中声音的实验和理论研究及其在生物学中的潜在功能。