Imaging the oxidation effects of the Fenton reaction on phospholipids at the interface between aqueous phase and thermotropic liquid crystals

• We have reported a LC-based approach for phospholipid oxidation by Fenton reaction.
• LC has never been used to report phospholipid oxidation by Fenton reaction before.
• This help to gain a better understanding in the process of phospholipid oxidation.

The lipid peroxidation process has attracted much attention because of the growing evidence of its involvement in the pathogenesis of age-related diseases. Herein, we report a simple, label-free method to study the oxidation of phospholipids by the Fenton reaction at the interface between an aqueous phase and immiscible liquid crystals (LCs). The different images produced by the orientation of 4-cyano-4′-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) corresponded to the presence or absence of oxidized 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-rac-(1-glycerol) sodium salt (DOPG). The oxidation effects of the Fenton reaction on DOPG were evaluated by monitoring the orientational response of liquid crystals upon contact with the oxidized DOPG solutions. DOPG was oxidized into chain-changed products containing hydroxy, carbonyl, or aldehyde groups, resulting in the rearrangement of the phospholipid layer. This induced the orientational transition of LCs from homeotropic to planar states; therefore, a dark to bright optical shift was observed. This shift was due to the Fenton reaction preventing DOPG to induce the orientational alignment of LCs at the aqueous/LC interface. We also used an ultraviolet spectrophotometer to confirm the effects of oxidation on phospholipids by the Fenton reaction. Using this simple method, a new approach for investigating phospholipid oxidation was established with high resolution and easy accessibility.