A thin layer chromatographic method for determining the enzymatic activity of peroxidases catalyzing the two-electron reduction of lipid hydroperoxides

Thiol-dependent peroxidases catalyzing the reductive detoxification of lipid hydroperoxides (LOOHs) are crucial antioxidant components of mammalian cells. There is a growing interest in manipulating expression of such enzymes to better understand their biological roles. A new approach for determining their cellular activity is described, whereby LOOH reduction kinetics are tracked by high performance thin layer chromatography with peroxide-sensitive tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine detection (HPTLC-TPD). The approach was tested on a tumor cell transfectant clone (7G4) over-expressing selenoperoxidase GP x 4. Timed incubation of Triton-solubilized 7G4 cells with GSH and peroxidized phosphatidylcholine (PCOOH), followed by lipid extraction, HPTLC-TPD and densitometry revealed an exponential decay of PCOOH at a rate approximately 80-times greater than that for GP x 4-deficient controls (VC). A TPD-detectable cholesterol hydroperoxide (7alpha-OOH) was also reduced much faster by 7G4 than VC extracts. Spraying with H(2)SO(4) after TPD revealed both 7alpha-OOH loss and resolved diol product (7alpha-OH) accumulation, the kinetics of which were identical. The approach described is relatively convenient, highly specific, and much more sensitive than conventional assays for cellular LOOH reducing enzymes.     

Phospholipase action of platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase, but not paraoxonase-1, on long fatty acyl chain phospholipid hydroperoxides

Phospholipid hydroperoxide (PLOOH) degrading activity of high density lipoprotein (HDL)-derived paraoxonase-1 (PON1) was investigated, using peroxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl phosphatidylcholine (PCOOH) as substrate and high performance thin layer chromatography for quantitative peroxide analysis. Incubation of PCOOH with PON1 resulted in decay of the latter and reciprocal buildup of oleic acid hydroperoxide (OAOOH) at rates unaffected by GSH or other reductants. A serine esterase inhibitor blocked this activity and a recombinant PON1 was devoid of it, raising the possibility that the activity represents platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH), an esterase that co-purifies with PON1 from HDL. This was verified by showing that a recombinant PAF-AH recapitulates the ability of natural PON1 to hydrolyze PCOOH and release OAOOH while having essentially no effect on parental PC. Furthermore, recombinant PAF-AH and natural PON1 were shown to have similar K(m) values for PCOOH hydrolysis. Finally, we found that recombinant PAF-AH, but not PON1, catalyzes PLOOH hydrolysis in peroxidized low density lipoprotein. We conclude from this study that PON1 is neither a PLOOH peroxidase nor hydrolase and that the phospholipase A(2)-like activity previously attributed to PON1 in natural enzyme preparations was actually due to novel PLOOH hydrolytic activity of contaminating PAF-AH.     

Sterol carrier protein-2-facilitated intermembrane transfer of cholesterol- and phospholipid-derived hydroperoxides

Sterol carrier protein-2 (SCP-2) facilitates cholesterol (Ch) and phospholipid (PL) transfer/exchange between membranes and appears to play a key role in intracellular lipid trafficking. Whether SCP-2 can also facilitate lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH) transfer between membranes and thereby potentially enhance dissemination of peroxidative damage was examined in this study. Transfer kinetics of photochemically generated cholesterol hydroperoxide (ChOOH) species (5alpha-OOH, 6alpha/6beta-OOH, 7alpha/7beta-OOH) and phospholipid hydroperoxide (PLOOH) families (PCOOH, PEOOH, PSOOH) were determined, using HPLC with electrochemical detection for peroxide analysis. LOOH donor/acceptor pairs employed in transfer experiments included (i) all liposomes (e.g., agglutinable SUVs/ nonagglutinable LUVs); (ii) photoperoxidized erythrocyte ghosts/SUVs or vice versa; and (iii) SUVs/mitochondria. In a SUV/ghost system at 37 degrees C, the rate constant for total ChOOH spontaneous transfer was approximately 8 times greater than that for unoxidized Ch. Purified bovine liver and human recombinant SCP-2 exhibited an identical ability to stimulate overall ChOOH transfer, 0.5 unit/mL (based on [(14)C]Ch transfer) increasing the first-order rate constant (k) approximately 7-fold. SCP-2-enhanced translocation of individual ChOOHs increased with increasing hydrophilicity in the following order: 6beta-OOH < 6alpha-OOH < 5alpha-OOH < 7alpha/7beta-OOH. Likewise, SCP-2 stimulated PCOOH, PEOOH, or PSOOH transfer approximately 6-fold, but the net k was 1/5 that of 5alpha-OOH and 1/10 that of 7alpha/7beta-OOH. Donor membrane properties favoring SCP-2-enhanced LOOH transfer included (i) increasing PL unsaturation and (ii) increasing net negative charge imposed by phosphatidylserine. Cytotoxic relevance was demonstrated by showing that SCP-2 accelerates 7alpha-OOH transfer from SUVs to isolated mitochondria and that this enhances peroxide-induced loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential. On the basis of these findings, we postulate that SCP-2, by trafficking ChOOHs and PLOOHs in addition to parent lipids, might exacerbate cell injury under oxidative stress conditions.     

Detection of chemiluminescence in lipid peroxidation of biological systems and its application to HPLC

A combined system of chemiluminescence detection and high performance liquid chromatography (CL–HPLC) was developed to determine primary peroxidation products in biological tissues, such as phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide (PCOOH). The CL–HPLC assay consists of separation of lipid classes with HPLC and detection of hydroperoxide-specific chemiluminescence. Hydroperoxides react with heme compounds to produce oxidants as suggested by our early studies on tissue low-level chemiluminescence in which singlet molecular oxygen is generated as one of the excited species in several biological systems involving free radical events. In the CL–HPLC method, a cytochrome c–luminol mixture was used as a hydroperoxide-specific luminescent reagent, and the quantification of hydroperoxide was performed by detecting chemiluminescence due to the luminol oxidation caused by the oxidant produced during the lipid hydroperoxides with heme. The detection limit of PCOOH was 10 pmole hydroperoxide–O₂. PCOOH in normal human blood was found to be 10–500 pmol/ml plasma and significantly higher levels of PCOOH were observed in some hospitalized patients.     

Peroxidation stimulated by lipid hydroperoxides on bovine retinal pigment epithelium mitochondria: effect of cellular retinol-binding protein

This study analyzes the effect of cellular retinol-binding protein (CRBP), partially purified from retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cytosol, on the non-enzymatic lipid peroxidation induced by fatty acid hydroperoxides of mitochondrial membranes isolated from bovine RPE. The effect of different amounts (50, 75 and 100 nmol) of linoleic acid hydroperoxide (LHP), arachidonic acid hydroperoxide (AHP) and docosahexaenoic acid hydroperoxide (DHP) on the lipid peroxidation of RPE mitochondria was studied; RPE mitochondria deprived of exogenously added hydroperoxide was utilized as control. The process was measured simultaneously by determining chemiluminescence as well as polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) degradation of total lipids isolated from RPE mitochondria. The addition of hydroperoxides to RPE mitochondria produces a marked increase in light emission that was hydroperoxide concentration dependent. The highest value of activation was produced by LHP. The major difference in the fatty acid composition of total lipids isolated from native and peroxidized RPE mitochondria incubated with and without hydroperoxides was found in the docosahexaenoic acid content, this decreased 40.90+/-3.01% in the peroxidized group compared to native RPE mitochondria. The decrease was significantly high: 86.32+/-2.57% when the lipid peroxidation was stimulated by 100 nmol of LHP. Inhibition of lipid peroxidation (decrease of chemiluminescence) was observed with the addition of increasing amounts (100-600 microg) of CRBP to RPE mitochondria. The inhibitory effect reaches the highest values in the presence of LHP.     

Photooxidation of cell membranes in the presence of hematoporphyrin derivative: reactivity of phospholipid and cholesterol hydroperoxides with glutathione peroxidase

The susceptibility of photodynamically-generated lipid hydroperoxides to reductive inactivation by glutathione peroxidase (GPX) has been investigated, using hematoporphyrin derivative as a photosensitizing agent and the human erythrocyte ghost as a target membrane. Photoperoxidized ghosts were reactive in a glutathione peroxidase/reductase (GPX/GRD)-coupled assay only after phospholipid hydrolysis by phospholipase A2 (PLA2). However, enzymatically determined lipid hydroperoxide values were consistently approx. 40% lower than iodometrically determined values throughout the course of photooxidation. Moreover, when irradiated ghosts were analyzed iodometrically during PLA2/GSH/GPX treatment, a residual 30-40% of non-reactive lipid hydroperoxide was observed. The possibility that cholesterol product(s) account for the non-reactive lipid hydroperoxide was examined by tracking cholesterol hydroperoxides in [14C]cholesterol-labeled ghosts. The sum of cholesterol hydroperoxides and GPX/GRD-detectable lipid hydroperoxides was found to agree closely with iodometrically determined lipid hydroperoxide throughout the course of irradiation. Thin-layer chromatography of total lipid extracts indicated that cholesterol hydroperoxide was unaffected by PLA2/GSH/GPX treatment, whereas most of the phospholipid peroxides were completely hydrolyzed and the released fatty acid peroxides were reduced to alcohols. It appears, therefore, that the GPX-resistant lipid hydroperoxides in photooxidized ghosts were derived primarily from cholesterol. Ascorbate plus Fe3+ produced a burst of free-radical lipid peroxidation in photooxidized, PLA2-treated ghosts. As expected for fatty acid hydroperoxide inactivation, the lipid peroxidation was inhibited by GSH/GPX, but only partially so, suggesting that cholesterol hydroperoxide-derived radicals play a major role in the reaction.     

Determination of carnitine, butyrobetaine, and betaine as 4′-bromophencyl ester derivatives by high-performance liquid chromatography

A method for determination of carnitine, 4-(N,N,N-trimethylammonio)butanoate (butyrobetaine), and 2-(N,N,N-trimethylammonio)acetate (betaine) is described. These ω-trimethylammonio carboxylates and the chemically analogous internal standards 4-(N,N-dimethyl-N-propylammonio)-3-hydroxybutanoate or 5-(N,N,N-trimethylammonio)hexanoate were derivatized by reaction wiht 4′-bromophenacyl triflate in the presence of N,N-diisopropylethylamine. The trialkylammonio carboxylate 4′-bromophenacyl ester derivatives were separated from other sample constituents by reversed-phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography with spectrophotometric detection at 254 nm. Standard curves were linear over a sample concentration range of 10–100 nmol/ml. Quantities of 2.5 nmol of ω-trialkylammonio acid derivatives injected into the chromatography were detected with signal-to-noise ratios greater than 50.     

A continuous-flow automated assay for iodometric estimation of hydroperoxides

An iodometric method for the analysis of hydroperoxides has been automated to allow analysis of aqueous biological samples (containing less than 20 mg/ml protein) and lipid hydroperoxide extracts. The evolution of triiodide ions is measured spectrophotometrically at 360 nm. Dependent on the type of sample, 30-60 samples can be analyzed per hour and the system allows detection of less than 100 pmol of peroxide. The assay is linear over a range of 100 pmol to 25 nmol. The sample volume used routinely was 80 microliters.     

A spectrophotometric assay for lipid peroxides in serum lipoproteins using a commercially available reagent

A method is described for measuring lipid peroxides by means of the color reagent of a commercially available test kit for cholesterol estimation. In principle, this assay makes use of the oxidative capacity of lipid peroxides to convert iodide to iodine, which can be measured photometrically at 365 nm. Calibration curves were obtained using peroxides such as H2O2, t-butyl hydroperoxide, and cumene hydroperoxide. A stoichiometric relationship was observed between the amount of organic peroxides assayed and the concentration of iodine produced. Concentrations of lipid peroxides as small as 1 nmol/ml could be measured. The ability to estimate lipid peroxides of isolated low density lipoprotein was demonstrated.     

A new assay method for lipid peroxides using a methylene blue derivative

To determine the absolute amount of lipid hydroperoxides in biological materials, a simple and sensitive colorimetric method was newly developed, based on the reaction of lipid hydroperoxides with a leucomethylene blue derivative in the presence of hemoglobin. The amount of methylene blue formed was measured by its absorbance at 666 nm to calculate the amount of lipid hydroperoxides using cumene hydroperoxide as external standard. By this method, lipid hydroperoxide concentrations of less than 7.5 nmol/tube were accurately determined.     

Thioredoxin-linked lipid hydroperoxide peroxidase activity of human serum albumin in the presence of palmitoyl coenzyme A

Human Serum Albumin (HSA) exerted a significant lipid peroxidase activity with the use of a thiol-reducing equivalent such as dithiothreitol (DTT). Carboxyl group-modified HSA (CM-HSA) showed a 10-fold stronger lipid peroxidase activity (1.6 nmol/min/mg) than that of HSA (0.17 nmol/min/mg). Instead of DTT, thioredoxin (Trx) also supported reducing equivalent to the reduction of lipid hydroperoxide by CM-HSA. Contrast to CM-HSA, HSA did not reduce lipid peroxide with the use of Trx. In the presence of palmitoyl coenzyme A (palmitoyl-CoA) however, HSA used Trx as an electron donor to the reduction of lipid hydroperoxide. The Trx-linked peroxidase activity of HSA sharply increased with elongation in the carbon chain of the acyl moiety of acyl-CoA, showing an optimum activity in the presence of palmitoyl-CoA. Fluorescence study indicates the conformational changes of HSA induced by palmitoyl-CoA. Together, these data suggest that palmitoyl-CoA-bound HSA has a capability to remove lipid peroxide with the use of electrons given by Trx system.     

Lipid hydroperoxide levels in plant tissues

Hydroperoxides are the primary oxygenated products of polyunsaturated fatty acids and are key intermediates in the octadecanoid signalling pathway in plants. Lipid hydroperoxides (LHPO) were determined spectrophotometrically based on their reaction with an excess of Fe(2+)at low pH in the presence of the dye xylenol orange. Triphenylphosphine-mediated hydroxide formation was used to authenticate the signal generated by the hydroperoxides. The method readily detected lipid peroxidation in Phaseolus: microsomes, senescing potato leaves and in a range of other plant tissues including Phaseolus hypocotyls (26+/-5 nmol g(-1) FW), Alstroemeria floral tissues (sepals 66+/-13 nmol g(-1) FW petals 49+/-6 nmol g(-1) FW), potato leaves (334+/-75 nmol g(-1) FW), broccoli florets (568+/-68 nmol g(-1) FW) and Chlamydomonas cells (602+/-40 nmol g(-1) FW). Relative to the total fatty acid content of the tissues, the % LHPO was within the range of 0.6-1.7% for all tissue types (photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic) and represents the basal oxidation level of membrane fatty acids in plant cells. In order to relate the levels of LHPO to specific signalling pathways, transgenic potato plant lines were used in which lipoxygenase (LOX) (responsible for hydroperoxide biosynthesis) and hydroperoxide lyase (a route of hydroperoxide degradation) activities were largely reduced by an antisense-mediated approach. While the LHPO levels were similar to wild type in the individual LOX antisensed plants, basal LHPO levels, by contrast, were elevated by 38% in transgenic potato leaves antisensed in hydroperoxide lyase, indicating a role for this enzyme in the maintenance of cellular levels of LHPOs.     

Radiation induced peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids: recent results on formation of hydroperoxides

Aqueous solutions of linoleic acid were irradiated in air with gamma-rays of 137Cs. High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) was been used to separate and measure the production of hydroperoxides. The results obtained after reverse phase chromatography, associated with a microperoxydase for hydroperoxide detection, indicate the presence of two different hydroperoxides. One type of hydroperoxide was the major product obtained when the initial linoleic concentrations were below the critical micellar concentration (2 mM), and the second type was produced when the concentrations were above 2 mM. A further separation carried out on the second hydroperoxide by direct phase HPLC showed that it contains three compounds, mainly HPODE 9 and 13.     

Detection and characterization of lipid hydroperoxides at picomole levels by high-performance liquid chromatography

A new method for the detection of various lipid hydroperoxides and hydrogen peroxide at the picomole level has been developed by combining an HPLC system with an ultrasensitive analytical system based on the detection of chemiluminescence emitted by isoluminol in the presence of hydroperoxide and microperoxidase. This HPLC separation removes interfering antioxidants so that the method can be applied to biological samples such as blood plasma lipids. Several HPLC conditions are described which allow simple identification of different lipid hydroperoxides.     

Presence of phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide in human plasma

A chemiluminescence-high performance liquid chromatography (CL-HPLC) system was newly developed and used for the hydroperoxide-specific determination of phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide (PCOOH) in human plasma. The method involves separation of phosphatidylcholine derivatives from plasma lipids by normal phase HPLC and subsequent detection of hydroperoxide-dependent chemiluminescence (CL) of PCOOH. CL was produced through luminol oxidation during the reaction of the hydroperoxide and cytochrome c-heme. The high specificity for the hydroperoxide allows the sensitive assaying of a large PCOOH range over a concentration range of 50-2,000 pmol of hydroperoxide-O2. Using this method, the occurrence of PCOOH in normal human plasma was strongly suggested and was confirmed quantitatively.     

Effects of beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol on radical-initiated peroxidation of microsomes.

Rat liver microsomal membranes were exposed to either beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP), and Fe+3 or to azocompounds, and the antioxidant activities of beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol were studied. Lipid peroxidation was monitored either by malondialdehyde (MDA) formation in the thiobarbituric acid assay at 535 nm or by hydroperoxide formation at 234 nm, after high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation of phospholipid hydroperoxides. The radical initiators, water-soluble 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) (AAPH) and lipid-soluble 2,2'-azobis(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile (AMVN), when thermally decomposed at 37 degrees C under air, produced a constant rate of lipid peroxidation in microsomes and lag times inversely related to their concentrations. Using 25 mM AAPH, beta-carotene suppressed lipid peroxidation at a concentration of 50 nmol/mg protein; using 24 mM AMVN, an inhibition of MDA formation was observed at a concentration of only 5 nmol/mg protein. Inhibition by beta-carotene did not produce a clearly defined lag phase. During AAPH-induced lipid peroxidation, beta-carotene was consumed linearly, and high levels of the antioxidant were still present at the end of 45 min of incubation. Using NADPH/ADP/Fe+3, protection by beta-carotene was observed at 10 nmol/mg protein. alpha-Tocopherol effectively suppressed both MDA and hydroperoxide formation in a dose-dependent manner when either NADPH/ADP/Fe+3 or azocompounds were used. These effects were observed at very low concentrations of the added alpha-tocopherol, ranging from 2 to 3 nmol/mg protein. When the lag times were measurable (AAPH and AMVN), they were directly proportional to the concentration of alpha-tocopherol and revealed the presence of endogenous antioxidants in the microsomal membranes. Different temporal relationships between the loss of alpha-tocopherol and lipid peroxidation were observed in relation to the prooxidant used. A substantial depletion of about 70% of endogenous alpha-tocopherol preceded the propagation phase when induced by the azocompounds, while only 20% of antioxidant disappeared at the beginning of the peroxidation when induced by NADPH/ADP/Fe+3. Although our results show that both beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol suppress the peroxidation of microsomal membranes, their antioxidant efficacy is influenced by several factors, including the type of radical initiator involved and the site and rate of radical production.     

Phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase induces a delay in G1 of the cell cycle

Phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PhGPx) is an antioxidant enzyme that reduces cellular phospholipid hydroperoxides (PLOOHs) to alcohols. Cellular peroxide tone has been implicated in cell growth and differentiation. By reducing the PLOOH level in the cell membrane, PhGPx regulates the peroxide tone and thereby might be involved in cell growth. We hypothesized that overexpression of PhGPx in human breast cancer cells would decrease their growth rate. We stably transfected MCF-7 cells (Wt) with L-PhGPx and measured cell doubling time, plating efficiency, and cell cycle phase transit times. P-4 cells (8-fold increase in PhGPx activity) showed a 2-fold increase in doubling time; doubling time increased directly with PhGPx activity (r = 0.95). The higher the PhGPx activity, the lower the plating efficiency (r = -0.86). The profile of other antioxidant enzymes was unchanged. Overexpression of PhGPx lowered the steady-state level of PLOOH (by > 60%). Results from bromodeoxyuridine pulse-chase experiments and flow cytometry indicate that PhGPx induced a delay in MCF-7 proliferation that was primarily due to a slower progression from G1 to S. These results support the hypothesis that PhGPx plays a regulatory role in the progression of MCF-7 cells from G1 to S possibly by regulating the steady-state levels of PLOOH. These data suggest that PhGPx can lower the peroxide tone, which might change the cellular redox environment resulting in a delay in G1 transit. Thus, PhGPx could be an important factor in cell growth.     

Detection of cholesteryl ester hydroperoxide isomers using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry combined with thin-layer chromatography blotting

Oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. During the oxidation of LDL, cholesteryl esters, the major lipid components in LDL, are oxidized to cholesteryl ester hydroperoxides (CEOOH). The isomers of CEOOH may reflect the reactive species that initiate the peroxidation reaction. In the current study, a novel analytical method for the determination of CEOOH isomers, especially cholesteryl linoleate hydroperoxide isomers, was developed using the combination of two chromatographic techniques: (i) thin-layer chromatography blotting with diphenyl-1-pyrenylphosphine (DPPP) fluorescent detection (DPPP-TLC blotting) and (ii) gas chromatography-electron ionization-mass spectrometry (GC-EI-MS). CEOOH was applied to DPPP-TLC blotting, the obtained DPPP-derived fluorescent spots containing cholesteryl ester hydroxides were extracted and derivatized (hydrogenation, transmethylation, and trimethylsilylation), and the formed methyl ester/trimethylsilylether derivatives of hydroxyoctadecenoic acid were then analyzed by GC-EI-MS. The CEOOH isomers were determined by selected ion monitoring of isomer-specific fragment ions originated from the alpha-cleavage of the trimethylsilyloxyl group. Using these two chromatographic techniques, we were able to detect isomeric CEOOH in the oxidized human LDL. Our results indicated that GC-EI-MS analysis combined with DPPP-TLC blot is a specific method for analyzing cholesteryl ester hydroperoxide isomers in biological samples such as oxidized LDL.     

Spontaneous transfer of phospholipid and cholesterol hydroperoxides between cell membranes and low-density lipoprotein: assessment of reaction kinetics and prooxidant effects

Under oxidative pressure in the vascular circulation, erythrocytes and phagocytic cells may accumulate membrane lipid hydroperoxides (LOOHs), including cholesterol- and phospholipid-derived species (ChOOHs, PLOOHs). LOOH translocation from cells to low-density lipoprotein (LDL) might sensitize the latter to free radical-mediated oxidative modification, an early event associated with atherogenesis. To test this, we examined the spontaneous transfer kinetics of various ChOOH species (5 alpha-OOH, 6 alpha-OOH, 6 beta-OOH, 7 alpha/7 beta-OOH) and various PLOOH groups (PCOOH, PEOOH, PSOOH, SMOOH) using photoperoxidized erythrocyte ghosts as model donors and freshly prepared LDL as an acceptor. LOOH departure or uptake was monitored by reverse-phase HPLC with reductive electrochemical detection. Mildly peroxidized ghost membranes transferred overall ChOOH and PLOOH to LDL with apparent first-order rate constants approximately 60 and approximately 35 times greater than those of the respective parent lipids. Individual ChOOH rate constants decreased in the following order: 7 alpha/7 beta-OOH > 5 alpha-OOH > 6 alpha-OOH > 6 beta-OOH. Kinetics for reverse transfer from LDL to ghosts followed the same trend, but rates were significantly higher for all species and their combined activation energy was lower (41 vs 85 kJ/mol). PLOOH transfer rate constants ranged from 4- to 15-fold lower than the composite ChOOH constant, their order being as follows: PCOOH approximately PEOOH approximately PSOOH > SMOOH. Similar PLOOH transfer kinetics were observed when LDL acceptor was replaced by unilamellar liposomes, consistent with desorption from the donor membrane being the rate-limiting step. The susceptibility of transfer LOOH-enriched LDL to Cu2+-induced chain peroxidative damage was assessed by monitoring the accumulation of conjugated dienes and products of free radical-mediated cholesterol oxidation. In both cases, transfer-acquired LOOHs significantly reduced the lag time for chain initiation relative to that observed using nonperoxidized ghosts. These findings are consistent with the idea that LDL can acquire significant amounts of "seeding" LOOHs via translocation from various donors in the circulation.     

Lipid hydroperoxides in plants

Hydroperoxides are the primary oxygenated products of polyunsaturated fatty acids and were determined spectrophotometrically based on their reaction with an excess of Fe2+ at low pH in the presence of the dye Xylenol Orange. Triphenylphosphine-mediated hydroxide formation was used to authenticate the signal generated by the hydroperoxides. The method readily detected lipid peroxidation in a range of plant tissues including Phaseolus hypocotyls (26 +/- 5 nmol.g of fresh weight(-1); mean +/- S.D.), Alstroemeria floral tissues (sepals, 66+/-13 nmol.g of fresh weight(-1); petals, 49+/-6 nmol.g of fresh weight(-1)), potato leaves (334+/-75 nmol.g of fresh weight(-1)), broccoli florets (568+/-68 nmol.g of fresh weight(-1)) and Chlamydomonas cells (602+/-40 nmol.g of wet weight(-1)). Relative to the total fatty acid content of the tissues, the percentage hydroperoxide content was within the range of 0.6-1.7% for all tissue types (photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic) and represents the basal oxidation level of membrane fatty acids in plant cells. Leaves of transgenic potato with the fatty acid hydroperoxide lyase enzyme expressed in the antisense orientation were elevated by 38%, indicating a role for this enzyme in the maintenance of cellular levels of lipid hydroperoxides.