Calcium and magnesium induced changes in the relative fluidity of phosphatidylcholine liposomes

The effect of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ on relative fluidity of phosphatidylcholine liposomes was studied by measuring the degree of chlorophyll fluorescence polarization. An increase in the degree of fluorescence polarization was observed on incubation of liposomes with different concentrations of Ca²⁺ or Mg²⁺. The results have been interpreted on the basis of increase in the size of liposomes which could be brought about by calcium or magnesium induced fusion of small unilamellar liposomes to form larger vesicles. Fusion of liposomes has also been confirmed by the experiments on efficiency of energy transfer from chlorophyll b to chlorophyll a, and transmission electron microscopy of liposomes before and after incubation with Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺.     

Interaction of lysophosphatidylcholine with phosphatidylcholine bilayers. A photo-physical and NMR study

Several photo-physical methods together with ³¹P-NMR have been used to investigate the effect of lysophosphatidylcholine on phosphatidylcholine bilayers. ³¹P-NMR shows that the permeability of the vesicle to Eu³⁺ increases sharply above approx. 40% lysophosphatidylcholine: fluorescence-quenching studies also show this type of behavior. Similar sharp changes in vesicle properties are observed via the photo-physical technique at this lysophosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylcholine composition. Fluorescence spectra of pyrene and pyrene carboxaldehyde show that increasing lysophosphatidylcholine composition increases the polarity of the environments of these probes up to 40% lysocompound. Above this composition the photo-physical properties of the probes slowly revert to those characteristic of the micellar lyso-compound. The pyrene fluorescence lifetime, the fine structure of the fluorescence, and the case of formation of pyrene excimer in these bilayer mixtures suggest that pyrene complexes weakly with the charged nitrogen of the choline group of the phosphatidylcholine and that the physical state of the system has a striking effect on this complexation process. Similar experiments with simple quaternary compounds lend strong support to this suggestion. The studies monitor in several ways the effect of bilayer composition on movement of molecules in these systems. The degree or site of solubilization of carcinogens is also uniquely affected by composition.     

Association of cholesterol with lysophosphatidylcholine

With equimolar cholesterol, lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC) or 1-ether-2-deoxylyso-phosphatidylcholine (etherdeoxylysoPC) form unilamellar vesicles of identical dimensions. 13C-NMR spectra of such vesicles are interpreted on the premise that suppression of a signal by broadening (i.e. decrease of T*2 relaxation time) indicates a decrease of motion of the carbon atom relative to its surroundings. The signals for sn-glycerol C-1 and C-2 are completely suppressed in the lysoPC-cholesterol vesicles. In contrast, in the vesicles containing etherdeoxylysoPC, all three glycerol carbon signals make their appearance, with the T*2 of C-2 approaching the T*2 in the monomolecularly dissolved lysolipid. This result argues for lipid-lipid complexing in the "hydrogen belts' of the lysoPC-cholesterol bilayer, specifically, for hydrogen bonding involving the hydroxyl and carbonyl groups of lysoPC and the hydroxyl of cholesterol.     

Effect of lysophosphatidylcholine on the radiation-induced lipid peroxidation in liposomes

The effect of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) on the lipid peroxidation process (LPO) in liposomes of rat liver phosphatidylcholine initiated by irradiation of 137Cs source was studied. The formation of diene conjugates (DC) is shown to increase dramatically on incorporation of more than 10% LPC into liposomes. The dependence of DC proportion on the irradiation dose is practically linear in the range of 0 to 5 kGy. The DC concentration in the liposomes without LPC grows at least to dose of 3.3 kGy and is unchanged on further irradiation. The malonic dialdehide accumulation follows the similar dependence. The LPC effect is neutralized by the incorporation of cholesterol into liposomes. The product of free radical fragmentation of LPC, palmitoxyacetone, practically has no influence on the DC concentration. The reasons of LPC effect on the irradiation initiated LPO in liposomes is discussed.     

Modeling and optimization of phospholipase A1‐catalyzed hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine using response surface methodology for lysophosphatidylcholine production

Modeling the phospholipase A₁ (PLA₁)‐catalyzed partial hydrolysis of soy phosphatidylcholine (PC) in hexane for the production of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and optimizing the reaction conditions using response surface methodology were described. The reaction was performed with 4 g of PC in a stirred batch reactor using a commercial PLA₁ (Lecitase Ultra) as the biocatalyst. The effects of temperature, reaction time, water content, and enzyme loading on LPC and glycerylphosphorylcholine (GPC) content in the reaction products were elucidated using the models established. Optimal reaction conditions for maximizing the LPC content while suppressing acyl migration, which causes GPC formation, were as follows: temperature, 60°C; reaction time, 3 h; water content, 10% of PC; and enzyme loading, 1% of PC. When the reaction was conducted with 40 g of PC under these conditions, the reaction products contained 83.7 mol % LPC and were free of GPC. LPC had a higher total unsaturated fatty acid content than original PC had and was mainly composed of linoleic acid (78.0 mol % of the total fatty acids). © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 31:35–41, 2015     

Influence of phorbol esters on ionophore-mediated calcium exchange-diffusion in liposomes

The interference of phorbol esters upon the process of A23187-mediated calcium exchange diffusion was examined in multilamellar liposomes formed of different types of lipids and incubated at variable temperatures. Phorbol esters facilitated the process of calcium ionophoresis in liposomes formed of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) or dimyristoylphosphatidyl-choline (DMPC) and incubated below transition temperature. The magnitude of this facilitating action was negatively correlated with the tumor-promoting capacity of the phorbol esters. The phorbol esters also facilitated calcium ionophoresis in liposomes formed of a mixture of DPPC and cholesterol, provided that the temperature exceeded 34 degrees C. The magnitude of the latter facilitating action was positively correlated with both the temperature and the tumor-promoting potency of the phorbol esters. Thus, the existence of a parallelism between the biological potency of phorbol esters and their biophysical effect in this artificial system tightly depended on such factors as the lipid composition of the liposomal matrix and the ambient temperature.     

Effect of phosphatidylcholine liposomes on the mitogen-stimulated lymphocyte activation.

The effect of phosphatidylcholine liposomes on the mitogen-stimulated lymphocyte activation was examined $\text{in vitro}$ in an attempt to determine whether liposomes influence the cell growth. Phosphatidylcholine liposomes reduced the cellular cholesterol level and effectively inhibited lymphocyte activation. On the other hand, phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol liposomes (molar ratio 1:1) increased the cellular cholesterol level and was relatively ineffective in the inhibition. After phosphatidylcholine treatment, the addition of high-density lipoprotein to the medium reversed the inhibition of lymphocyte activation. It is concluded that the inhibition was related to the attraction and association of cellular cholesterol with liposomes. This is consistent with the notion that cholesterol is required for successful blast transformation.     

Biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine by human lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 1

Pulmonary surfactant is a complex of phospholipids and proteins lining the alveolar walls of the lung. It reduces surface tension in the alveoli, and is critical for normal respiration. Pulmonary surfactant phospholipids consist mainly of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG). Although the phospholipid composition of pulmonary surfactant is well known, the enzyme(s) involved in its biosynthesis have remained obscure. We previously reported the cloning of murine lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 1 (mLPCAT1) as a potential biosynthetic enzyme of pulmonary surfactant phospholipids. mLPCAT1 exhibits lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase (LPCAT) and lysophosphatidylglycerol acyltransferase (LPGAT) activities, generating PC and PG, respectively. However, the enzymatic activity of human LPCAT1 (hLPCAT1) remains controversial. We report here that hLPCAT1 possesses LPCAT and LPGAT activities. The activity of hLPCAT1 was inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide, indicating the importance of some cysteine residue(s) for the catalysis. We found a conserved cysteine (Cys²¹¹) in hLPCAT1 that is crucial for its activity. Evolutionary analyses of the close homologs of LPCAT1 suggest that it appeared before the evolution of teleosts and indicate that LPCAT1 may have evolved along with the lung to facilitate respiration. hLPCAT1 mRNA is highly expressed in the human lung. We propose that hLPCAT1 is the biosynthetic enzyme of pulmonary surfactant phospholipids.     

Effects of lysophosphatidylcholine micelle and phosphatidylcholine liposome on photoreduction of methylviologen

Photoinduced reduction of methylviologen (MV2+) by ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA3-), which was sensitized by thiacarbocyanine dyes having long alkyl chains (C+m-n) embedded in palmitoyl lysophosphatidylcholine micelle and dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine liposomal membrane, was carried out. The formation rate of reduced methylviologen cation radical (MV+.) decreased with the time of irradiation with visible light, and the deceleration was more pronounced in the micellar solution. In kinetic studies, we found that the sensitizer divalent cation radical (C2+.m-n) is formed through the reaction of photoexcited sensitizer (C+*m-n) with MV2+ as an intermediate in this reaction, and that the reduction of C2+.m-n with EDTA3- inhibits the back reaction of MV+. with C2+.m-n. The inhibition was greater in the liposomal solution than in the micellar solution. This was ascribed to a higher concentration of EDTA3- on the liposomal surfaces through the electrostatic interaction between EDTA3- and the liposomal surfaces, the charge of which is attributed to the univalent cation sensitizer embedded in the liposomal membrane. The difference in the positive charge density of the surface of these lipid aggregates was due to the difference in the curvature of the micelle and the liposome. These results suggest that the dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine liposome is a more effective carrier than the palmitoyl lysophosphatidylcholine micelle for the production of MV+. in the photoreduction studied here.     

Glutaryl phosphatidylcholine effects on pH and composition dependent behavior of liposomes studied by spin-labeling method

The influence of glutaryl phosphatidylcholine on the molecular organization of phosphatidylcholine liposomes was studied by spin-labeling technique. The ESR signals given by the 5-nitroxide stearic acid label showed that the presence of glutaryl lecithin (i) significantly increased the negative charge density of the polar liposome surface with increasing proton concentration depending on the bulk solution pH, and (ii) apparently decreased the packing (order) of the hydrophobic region close to the surface, essentially in the presence of saturated phospholipids. The spectral information--S (order parameter) and alpha N (isotropic nitrogen coupling constant)--resulted in the location of the probe near or in the polar zone of the membrane or in the hydrophobic region, depending on the protonation/deprotonation of the fatty acid carboxyl group of the probe. The microviscosity of the inner region of the membrane monitored by the 12- and 16-probes was not significantly altered by glutaryl lecithin. On the other hand, glutaryl lecithin has a lesser effect on liposomes containing anionic polar head groups, such as dipalmitoyl phosphatidylglycerol or phosphatidylinositol, the anionic charge of which already had the same effect on protonation of the polar surface. The temperature dependence of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine liposome dynamic behavior indicates that the glutaryl lecithin effect is completely different above and below the gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transition point.     

Incorporation of bovine thyroid peroxidase in liposomes

Bovine thyroid peroxidase (TPO), an enzyme requiring lipids for demonstrating catalytic activity, was incorporated in liposomes made of pure phospholipids. The enzyme did not show high differences in activity when bilayer thickness was changed, but dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl choline (DPPC) seemed to be more appropiate for activity. The perturbation caused on lipid fluidity by enzyme incorporation was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and fluorescence polarization of the apolar probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH). The complexes of TPO with dimyristoyl phosphatidyl choline (DMPC), DPPC, and distearoyl phosphatidyl choline (DSPC) bilayers showed transition temperatures (T_c) which were lower than the characteristic ones shown by liposomes with the respective phospholipids alone. The microsomal fraction from which TPO was extracted was in the fluid state at 37°C, the temperature at which thyroid peroxidase works ‘in vivo’. Since the effect of the protein in lowering the transition temperature of the phospholipids was so low, the contribution of phospholipids containing unsaturated fatty acids has to be essential for obtaining a fluid bilayer at body temperature.     

Anion influence on the binding of divalent cations to phosphatidylcholine

We have used the osmotic pressure technique of Rand, Parsegian and co-workers (Nature 259 (1976) 601–603) to investigate the effect of anion species on the binding of M²⁺ to dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers. Calcium and magnesium salts show a complex behavior which is consistent with both anion binding and screening. We observe virtually no change, within the accuracy of our experiment, in the decay of repulsive pressure with inter-bilayer separation for the acetate and nitrate salts of magnesium and calcium; however, the chloride salt does show a different pressure decay. At any given bilayer separation, , with calcium and magnesium salts present, the anions produce a decrease in the repulsive pressure in the order acetate⁻ > Cl⁻ > NO₃⁻.     

Effect of phosphatidic acid on the radiation-initiated peroxidation of phosphatidylcholine in liposomes

It was found that the incorporation of anionic dipalmitoyl phosphatidic acid (DPPA) into phosphatidylcholine (PC) liposomes up to 15 mol % was accompanied by the intensification of accumulation of diene conjugates (DC), which are primary products of lipid peroxidation (LPO), if the LPO was initiated by gamma-irradiation of a 137Cs source. Monoethyl ester of DPPA, phosphatidylethanol (DPPEt), exerted a lesser influence at the same concentrations. Ca2+ ions inhibited the DC production not only in liposomes consisting of lipid mixture but in lipid membranes of PC alone as well. It was assumed that the electrostatic repulsion of negatively charged DPPA and DPPEt resulted in the loosening of polarside region of membrane hydrophobic layer and in consequence the access of hydroxyl radicals to hydrocarbon chains of PC. This assumption is in good agreement with the results of osmotic behavior of liposomes in hypertonic urea solution.     

Effect of phosphatidylcholine cholesterol liposomes on the growth of bacterial cultures]

The in vitro studies showed that incubation of S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, E. coli and P. mirabilis in the presence of phosphatidyl choline cholesterol liposomal suspension was accompanied by inhibited microbial growth. The effect was time- and dose-dependent. The arranged structure of the liposomal membranes played an important role in genesis of the bactericidal action of the liposomes since the use of lipids of the same composition in a nonpolysomal form markedly lowered the bactericidal effect.     

Effect of Ca2+ on thermotropic properties of saturated phosphatidylcholine liposomes

The effect of various concentrations of calcium ion (Ca²⁺) on dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC) and mixed DPPC/DSPC (1:1) liposomes was studied by differential scanning calorimetry. Ca²⁺ concentrations of 10 mM and above split the main transition peak of DPPC into two distinguishable components, and, at 30 mM and above, also resulted in the disappearance of a pre-transition peak. The effect of Ca²⁺ on DSPC liposomes was even more dramatic in that it induced a more definitive split in the main transition peak and caused the loss of the pretransition peak at only 10 mM concentration. The thermograms of the DPPC/DSPC mixed liposomes were unaltered in the presence of Ca²⁺, even at a concentration of 50 mM. Whether or not Ca²⁺ is able to alter thermograms of phosphatidylcholine liposomes appears to be dependent on the degree of molecular order of the bilayer prior to interaction with Ca²⁺.     

Effect of melittin on thermotropic lipid state transitions in phosphatidylcholine liposomes.

We have examined the Raman scattering due to CH stretching vibrations, as well as to v(-C=C-) and v(=C-C=) of beta-carotene, of liposomes composed of phosphatidylcholine (egg, dimyristoyl, dipalmitoyl) +/- cholesterol, beta-carotene or melittin in the temperature range of -10 degrees C to 45 degrees C. (2) Plots vs. temperature of the intensities of the 2885 cm-1 and 2930 cm-1 CH stretching bands relative to the intensity of the thermally stable 2850 cm-1 band, i.e. the I2885/I2850 and I2930/I2850 ratios, reveal a sharp discontinuity in cholesterol-free phosphatidylcholine liposomes; this coincides with the gel leads to liquid-crystal transition temperature of the fatty acyl chains. In cholesterol/phosphatudylcholine liposomes the change in I2885/I2850 occurs over a very broad temperature range and I2930/I2850 remains stable. (3) I1527/I1158, i.e. the intensity of v(-C=C-) relative to that of v(=C-C-) in beta-carotene/phosphatidylcholine liposomes, changes discontinuously at the gel leads to liquid-crystal transition temperature. The values above the transition temperature approach those of the carotenoid in organic solution. (4) The transitions reported in I2885/I2850 for phosphatidylcholine/melittin liposomes (25-56; 1, M/M) are shifted to much higher temperatures than observed in phosphatidylcholine liposomes. In the case of dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine/melittin the changes in I2930/I2850 also occurs at a higher temperature (28 degrees C) than without melittin (21 degrees C), but the temperature shift is less than the +13 degrees C observed for I2885/I2850. It appears that the apolar moiety of melittin organizes phospholipids adjacent to and more remote from the peptide moiety, to form complexes with an elevated lipid transition temperature. The effect of the peptide moiety is greater on the methylene segments (I2885/I2850) than on the methyl termini (I2930/I2850).     

Osmotic behavior of liposomes of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylsulfocholine as a function of lipid concentration

A relationship between the initial rate of liposome swelling, d(1/A)/dt and the reciprocal of the lipid concentration of the liposomes has been derived and then utilized to describe the osmotic swelling behavior of serially diluted liposomes and chloroplasts exposed to hypertonic urea solutions. The slopes of plots of d(1/A)/dt vs. the reciprocal of the lipid concentration of liposomes were not affected by differences in the initial absorbance of phosphatidylcholine-sterol bilayers, and were used to assess the ability of sterols to reduce the initial rates of urea permeation through dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) bilayers in the liquid-crystalline state. Multilamellar liposomes and sonicated vesicles were prepared from dimyristoylphosphatidylsulfocholine (DMPSC), in which the quaternary ammonium group of choline is replaced by -S⁺(CH₃)₂. Cholesterol reduced the initial rate of osmotic urea penetration into liposomes and the rate of 6-carboxyfluorescein efflux from vesicles at 35°C. The effect of cholesterol on bilayers of phosphatidylsulfocholine and phosphatidylcholine was very similar, suggesting that no strict structural requirements need be met in the choline moiety for lecithin-cholesterol interaction. The sulfonium analog could thus functionally replace phosphatidylcholine in natural membranes.     

On the localization of ubiquinone in phosphatidylcholine bilayers

The location of ubiquinone-10 in phospholipid bilayers was analyzed using a variety of physical techniques. Specifically, we examined the hypothesis that ubiquinone localizes at the geometric center of phospholipid bilayers. Light microscopy of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine at room temperature in the presence of 0.05–0.5 mol fraction ubiquinone showed two separate phases, one birefringent lamellar phase and one phase that consisted of isotropic liquid droplets. The isotropic phase had a distinct yellow color, characteristic of melted ubiquinone. [¹³C]NMR spectroscopy of phosphatidylcholine liposomes containing added ubiquinone indicated a marked effect on the ¹³C-spin lattice relaxation times of the lipid hydrocarbon chain atoms near the polar head region of the bilayer, but almost no effect on those atoms nearest the center of the bilayer. X-ray diffraction experiments showed that for phosphatidylcholine bilayers, both in the gel and liquid-crystal-line phases, the presence of ubiquinone did not change either the lamellar repeat period or the wide-angle reflections from the lipid hydrocarbon chains. In electron micrographs, the hydrophobic freeze-fracture surfaces of bilayers in the rippled (Pβ′) phase were also unmodified by the presence of ubiquinone. These results indicate that the ubiquinone which does partition into the bilayer is not localized preferentially between the monolayers, and that an appreciable fraction of the ubiquinone forms a separate phase located outside the lipid bilayer.     

Effect of cholesterol on the formation of an interdigitated gel phase in lysophosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylcholine binary mixtures

We previously reported that 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) forms an interdigitated gel phase in the presence of 1-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (16:0LPC) at concentrations below 30 mol%. In the present investigation, fluorescent probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH), X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to investigate the effect of cholesterol on the phase behavior of 16:0LPC/DPPC binary mixtures. At 25 degrees C, 30 mol% 16:0LPC significantly decreases the DPH fluorescence intensity during the transition of DPPC from the L(beta') phase to the L(betaI) phase. However, the addition of cholesterol to 16:0LPC/DPPC mixtures results in a substantial increase in fluorescence intensity. The changes in DPH fluorescence intensity reflect the probe's redistribution from an orientation parallel to the acyl chain to the center of the bilayer, suggesting a bilayer structure transition from interdigitation to noninterdigitation. The normal repeat period of small angle X-ray diffraction patterns can be restored and a reflection appears at 0.42 nm with a broad shoulder around 0.41 nm in wide angle X-ray diffraction patterns when 10 mol% cholesterol is incorporated into 30 mol% 16:0LPC/DPPC vesicles, indicating that the mixtures are in the gel phase (L(beta')). Moreover, DSC results demonstrate that 10 mol% cholesterol is sufficient to significantly decrease the main enthalpy, cooperativity and lipid chain melting of 30 mol% 16:0LPC/DPPC binary mixtures, which are L(betaI), indicating that the transition of the interdigitated phase is more sensitive to cholesterol than that of the noninterdigitated phase. Our data imply that the interdigitated gel phase induced by 16:0LPC is prevented in the presence of 10 mol% cholesterol, but unlike ethanol, an increasing concentration of 16:0LPC is not able to restore the interdigitation structure of the lipid mixtures.