Organic pesticides modify lipid-lipid and lipid-protein domains in model membranes. A laser Raman study.

The effect of hexachlorocyclohexane (all isomers) on the thermal transition properties of phospholipid liposomes was determined by Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectra of liposomes with and without the presence of hexachlorocyclohexanes were recorded in the C-H stretching region which shows three major bands around 2850, 2880 and 2930 cm-1. Thermal transition properties were estimated from plots of I2880/I2850 and or I2930/I2850 vs. temperature, where I represents the intensity of the respective band. Our data on phospholipid liposomes reveal that delta- and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexanes drastically reduce and broaden the main thermal transitions of phospholipids at toxic level concentrations. These effects are more pronounced in liposomes containing 18 or more carbon atom long acyl chains. Alpha- and beta-isomers at similar concentrations show a minimum effect on the thermal transition properties of phospholipids. Raman analysis of phospholipid liposomes containing melittin, interestingly, reveal that the delta-isomer unlike the gamma-isomer strongly alters the transition properties of boundary lipids. These data suggest that the effect of hexachlorocyclohexanes on the thermal transition properties of membranes is stereo specific and that the delta-isomer preferably disrupts the lipid-protein domains. Results are explained on the basis of the dynamic flexibility owing to the equatorial and axial chlorine atoms of various hexachlorocyclohexane isomers.