A theory of fluorescence polarization decay in membranes

Decay of fluorescence polarization after an impulsive excitation is correlated with wobbling motion of fluorescent molecules in membranes. The motion is characterized by two parameters, a 'wobbling diffusion constant' and a 'degree of orientational constraint' both of which can be determined directly from experimentally obtained decay. Detailed discussion, including theoretically calculated time-courses of polarization decay, is given for several types of molecules embedded in lipid bilayers; these types cover a large part of fluorescent probes available at present. The theory is useful for the analysis of fluorescence polarization decay in any system where the orientation of fluorophore is restricted by the surrounding structure.