Comprehensive portrait of cholesterol containing oxidized membrane

• Oxidized lipid bilayers are studied with atomistic MD simulations.
• Cholesterol specifically interacts with carbonyl groups of the oxidized lipids.
• Lipid diffusion is less sensitive to cholesterol in oxidized bilayer.
• Cholesterol substitutes for the truncated chain and by that protects the bilayer.

Biological membranes are under significant oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species mostly originating during cellular respiration. Double bonds of the unsaturated lipids are most prone to oxidation, which might lead to shortening of the oxidized chain and inserting of terminal either aldehyde or carboxylic group. Structural rearrangement of oxidized lipids, addressed already, is mainly associated with looping back of the hydrophilic terminal group. This contribution utilizing dual-focus fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance as well as atomistic molecular dynamics simulations focuses on the overall changes of the membrane structural and dynamical properties once it becomes oxidized. Particularly, attention is paid to cholesterol rearrangement in the oxidized membrane revealing its preferable interaction with carbonyls of the oxidized chains. In this view cholesterol seems to have a tendency to repair, rather than condense, the bilayer.

Figure optionsDownload high-quality image (195 K)Download as PowerPoint slide