Development of a high-throughput assay for measuring lipase activity using natural triacylglycerols coated on microtiter plates.

We have designed a convenient, specific, sensitive and continuous lipase assay based on the use of natural triacylglycerols (TAGs) from the Aleurites fordii seed oil which contains α-eleostearic acid (9,11,13,cis,trans,trans-octadecatrienoic acid) and which was coated in the wells of microtiter plates. The coated TAG film cannot be desorbed by the various buffers used during the lipase assay. Upon lipase action, α-eleostearic acid is liberated and desorbed from the interface and then solubilized into the micellar phase. Consequently, the UV absorbance of the α-eleostearic acid is considerably enhanced due to the transformation from an adsorbed to a water soluble state. The lipase activity can be measured continuously by recording the variations with time of the UV absorption spectra. The rate of lipolysis was monitored by measuring the increase of OD at 272 nm, which was found to be linear with time and directly proportional to the amount of added lipase. This microtiter plate lipase assay, based on coated TAGs, presents various advantages as compared to the classical systems: (i) coated TAGs on the microtiter plates could be stored for a long-time at 4 °C, (ii) higher sensitivity in lipase detection, (iii) good reproducibility, and (iv) increase of signal to noise ratio due to high UV absorption after transfer of α-eleostearic acid from an adsorbed to a soluble state. Low concentrations, down to 1 pg mL(-1) of pure Thermomyces lanuginosus or human pancreatic lipase, could be detected under standard assay conditions. The detection sensitivity of this coated method is around 1000 times higher as compared to those obtained with the classical emulsified systems. This continuous high throughput lipase assay could be used to screen new lipases and/or lipase inhibitors present in various biological samples.

The N-terminal His-tag affects the enantioselectivity of staphylococcal lipases: a monolayer study.

In order to check the influence of the polyhistidine tag at the N-terminus of recombinant lipases, a comparative study on the interfacial properties of native and recombinant Staphylococcus simulans (SSL and rSSL) or Staphylococcus xylosus lipase (SXL and rSXL) was investigated using the monomolecular film technique. No phospholipase activity was detected with rSSL or rSXL when using different phospholipids spread as monomolecular films maintained at various surface pressures, suggesting that the His-tag in the N-terminus of the recombinant proteins, do not affect the substrate recognition. The critical surface pressure measured with monomolecular films of egg-PC was slightly lowered with the two recombinant proteins compared to the native SSL or SXL one. A kinetic study on the surface pressure dependency, stereoselectivity and regioselectivity of native and recombinant SSL or SXL was performed using three dicaprin isomers spread as monomolecular films at the air-water interface. Our results show clearly that the presence of polyhistidine tag at the N-terminus of SSL or SXL changes their stereo- and regioselectivity.

Gly311 residue triggers the enantioselectivity of Staphylococcus xylosus lipase: a monolayer study.

Using emulsified triacylglycerols, we have shown recently [Mosbah et al., 2007, submitted for publication] that amino acid residue G311 of Staphylococcus xylosus lipase (SXL) is critically involved in substrate selectivity, pH and temperature dependency. Using the monomolecular film technique, we show in the present study that the four single mutants of this residue (G311L, G311W, G311D, and G311K), interact efficiently with egg-phosphatidyl choline (egg-PC) monomolecular films, comparably to the wild-type (G311). A critical surface pressure (pi(c)) of about 25 mN/m was obtained with the SXL wild-type (SXL-WT) and its mutants. These results support our conclusion that the G311 residue is not involved in the interfacial adsorption step of SXL. A kinetic study on the surface pressure dependency, stereoselectivity, and regioselectivity of SXL-WT and its G311 mutants was also performed using optically pure enantiomers of diacylglycerols (1,2-sn-dicaprin and 2,3-sn-dicaprin) and a prochiral isomer (1,3-sn-dicaprin) spread as monomolecular films at the air-water interface. Our results indicated that the mutation of one single residue at position 311 affects critically the catalytic activity, the stereo- and the regioselectivity of SXL. As previously observed with emulsified substrates [Mosbah et al., 2007, submitted for publication] we observed that an increase in the size of the 311 amino acid side chain residue was accompanied by a decrease of lipase activity measured on dicaprin monolayer. We also noticed that the substitution of G311 by a basic or acidic residue (G311K and G311D), induces a significant shift of the pH optimum from 8 to 9.5 or from 8 to 6.5, respectively.

Scorpion digestive lipase: kinetic study using monomolecular film technique.

Using the classical emulsified system and the monomolecular film technique, we compared the interfacial properties of the scorpion digestive lipase (SDL) with those of higher animals'. In the absence of bile slats, SDL does not hydrolyse efficiently pure tributyrin, as well as dicaprin films maintained at low surface pressure. The preincubation of bile salts with tributyrin seems to be a better substrate for SDL than the pure tributyrin. A kinetic study on the surface pressure dependency, stereospecificity and regioselectivity of SDL was performed using monomolecular films of either three dicaprin isomers or three pairs of didecanoyl-deoxyamino-O-methyl glycerol enantiomers (DDG) containing a single hydrolysable decanoyl ester bond. With all diacylglycerol isomers, SDL has a surface pressure threshold of about 15 m Nm(-1), below which enzymatic activity is undetectable. SDL seems to prefer vicinal ester groups of the diacylglycerol isomers, with preference for sn-1 position at both 15 and 23 m Nm(-1). Furthermore, the maximum SDL activity is measured with DDG having a primary ester bond (1,3DDG, SII). This shows that SDL has a preference for the sn-1 position of this diacylglycerol analogue. Moreover, this was in line with the fact that SDL is inactive on sn-2 position of both DDG isomers and a triacylglycerol. With diacylglycerol analogue isomers, SDL shows a preference for distal isomers contrary to what has been observed with diacylglycerol isomers. SDL interacts with egg-phosphatidyl choline (egg-PC) monomolecular films. The critical surface pressure value (13 m Nm(-1)) is comparable to those of pancreatic lipases.

N-terminal peptide of Rhizopus oryzae lipase is important for its catalytic properties.

In a culture medium, the Rhizopus oryzae strain produces only one form of lipase, ROL32. When the concentrated culture medium was stored at 0 degrees C during several months or kept at 6 degrees C during a few days, we noticed the appearance of a second shorter form of ROL32 lacking its N-terminal 28 amino acid (ROL29). ROL29 was purified to homogeneity and its 21 N-terminal amino acid residues were found to be identical to the 29-49 sequence of ROL32. The cleavage of the N-terminal peptide reduced the specific activity of ROL29 by 50% using either triolein or tributyrin as substrates. In order to explain this decrease of the specific activity of ROL29, we measured its critical surface pressure of penetration into phosphatidyl choline from egg yolk films which was found to be 10 mN/m, in contrast to a value of 23 mN/m found in ROL32. A kinetic study on the surface pressure dependency, stereoselectivity and regioselectivity of ROL29 was performed using the three dicaprin isomers spread as monomolecular films at the air-water interface. Our results showed that in contrast to ROL32, ROL29 presented a preference for the distal ester groups of one diglyceride isomer (1,3-sn-dicaprin). Furthermore, ROL32 was markedly more stereoselective than ROL29 for the sn-3 position of the 2,3-sn-enantiomer of dicaprin. A structural explanation of the enhanced penetration capacity as well as the catalytic activity of ROL32 was proposed by molecular modeling. We concluded that the N-terminal peptide of ROL32 can play an important role in the specific activity, the regioselectivity, the stereoselectivity and the binding of the enzyme to its substrate.

A kinetic study of the formation of beta-cyclodextrin complexes with monomolecular films of fatty acids and glycerides spread at the air/water interface.

The kinetics of formation of inclusion complexes between beta-cyclodextrin and monolayers of one-, two- and three-chained lipid molecules, namely, oleic acid (OA), monoolein (MO), diolein (DO) and triolein (TO), was investigated at various pH using three independent dynamic methods. The formation and solubilization of soluble inclusion beta-CD/OA and beta-CD/MO complexes was detected by measuring the decrease of the surface area and surface pressure of the OA and MO monolayers in the presence of beta-CD within a wide range of concentrations. A third approach, describing the dilatational properties of the monolayers, influenced by the formation and solubilization of the complexes, was developed. Using the three above-mentioned independent methods, the rate constants of formation (k1) and dissociation (k2) of beta-CD/OA and beta-CD/MO, were determined. We observed that solubilization flux i s for OA monolayer increases with pH and at pH 11 reached a value, which is closed to the diffusion flux iD and the process thus becomes diffusion controlled. For MO monolayer no significant effects of pH was observed above pH 6. The surface pressure (Deltapi)--area per molecule (A) and surface potential (DeltaV)--area per molecule (A) isotherms and rheological properties of DO and TO monolayers were measured in the presence or absence of beta-CD. DO and TO form water-insoluble complexes with beta-CD, as visualized by AFM images.

Triacylglycerols based on 2-(N-tert-butoxycarbonylamino)oleic acid are potent inhibitors of pancreatic lipase.

A novel class of potent human pancreatic lipase (HPL) inhibitors was developed. Triacylglycerol analogues containing 2-(N-tert-butoxycarbonylamino) fatty acids were synthesized, and their ability to form stable films at the air/water interface was studied. The inhibition of human digestive lipases by the compounds synthesized was studied by the monolayer technique, and the triesters of glycerol and 2-methylglycerol with 2-(N-tert-butoxycarbonylamino)oleic acid were found to be potent inhibitors of HPL.

Synthesis of lipophilic aldehydes and study of their inhibition effect on human digestive lipases.

[reaction: see text] Novel inhibitors of human digestive lipases, aldehyde dialkyl and alkyl-acyl glycerol analogues, were developed. The inhibitors were prepared starting from 3-(benzyloxy)-1,2-propanediol. The inhibition of human pancreatic and gastric lipases by the aldehyde derivatives was studied using the monolayer technique. (1R)-1-[(Dodecyloxy)methyl]-4-oxobutyl decanoate caused a 50% decrease in HPL and HGL activities at 0.100 and 0.053 molar fractions, respectively.

Transfer of orlistat through oil-water interfaces.

The transfer of radiolabelled orlistat ([14C]orlistat), a potent gastrointestinal lipase inhibitor, through an oil-water interface from a single oil droplet to an aqueous phase was investigated, using an oil drop tensiometer. The absolute transfer fluxes were found to be very low, even in the presence of micellar concentrations of bile salts, which increased their values from 0.2 to 2.5 and 6.5 pmol cm(-2) min(-1) in the presence of 0, 4 and 15 mM NaTDC, respectively. Adding either a lipid emulsion or pure human pancreatic lipase (HPL) or human serum albumin or beta-lactoglobulin had no effect on the flux of transfer of orlistat. The presence of colipase or a mixture of colipase and HPL was found, however, to reduce the flux of orlistat transfer, probably because it partly covered the single oil drop surface, even in the presence of bile salts. Using a finely emulsified system, we investigated the partitioning of orlistat between the aqueous and oil phases, in the absence or presence of bile salts above their CMC (4 mM NaTDC, final concentration). Under these emulsified conditions, orlistat was found to be mostly associated with the oil phase, since more than 98.8% of the total radioactivity was recovered after decantation with the oil phase. The low transfer rates of orlistat, as well as its partitioning coefficient between the oil and the aqueous phases, should help us to better understand the inhibitory effects of orlistat on lipid digestion in humans.

Lipases: Interfacial Enzymes with Attractive Applications.

Unusually versatile substrate specificity is shown by lipases. Not only do they hydrolyze triacylglycerols-for example, in the stomach and intestine during digestion of dietary fat-and various synthetic esters and amides, but their high stability in organic solvents permits their use in transesterification reactions and ester synthesis as well. Reactions based on lipase catalysis usually proceed with high regio- and enantioselectivity. Thus, the Ca2+ antagonist diltiazem (1) was obtained with lipase from Serratia marcescens. Over 30 lipases have been cloned in the last few years. Since the tertiary structure of 12 lipases is known, there are presently significant efforts to improve this class of enzymes by protein engineering techniques, in view of their use in detergents and other fields of industrial application.

Surface behavior of α-Synuclein and its interaction with phospholipids using the Langmuir monolayer technique: a comparison between monomeric and fibrillar α-Synuclein.

Due to the involvement of α-Synuclein (α-Syn) in lipid transport and its role in the normal function and in the pathology of Parkinson disease, it is important to study first the surface properties of the protein at the air/water interface and second its behavior related to biological membranes. For this purpose, the monomolecular film technique was used as membrane model to compare the interactions with various phospholipids of monomeric and fibrillar forms of α-Syn. We have determined the equilibrium surface pressure of the two forms of α-Syn (monomeric and fibrillar form) at the air/water interface. The surface pressures reached by monomeric α-Syn were shown to be higher than the ones of fibrillar α-Syn and similar to the value obtained by mellitin, a lytic peptide of bee venom, which has been described as "protein detergent". The monomeric α-Syn adsorbed more rapidly at the air/water interface with a maximal adsorption rate at least 60-times higher than the fibrillar form. In the presence of a phospholipid monolayer, the surface activities of two α-Syn forms are much greater than observed at the air/water interface. Also we can show that the fibrillar form of α-Syn have a higher value of critical pressure than the monomeric one for the cow brain extract and the Phospatidyl Glycerol (an anionic phospholipid) which confirm its higher affinity for the anionic phospholipid than the monomeric form. According these results, we can suggest that this aggregate form have important implications for the pathological activity and, therefore, for the associated neurotoxicity which can results in layer disruption and cell leakage.

Lipases or esterases: does it really matter? Toward a new bio-physico-chemical classification.

Carboxylester hydrolases, commonly named esterases, consist of a large spectrum of enzymes defined by their ability to catalyze the hydrolysis of carboxylic ester bonds and are widely distributed among animals, plants, and microorganisms. Lipases are lipolytic enzymes which constitute a special class of carboxylic esterases capable of releasing long-chain fatty acids from natural water-insoluble carboxylic esters. However, up to now, several unsuccessful attempts aimed at differentiating "lipases" from "esterases" by using various criteria. These criteria were based on the first substrate used chronologically, primary sequence comparisons, some kinetic parameters, or some structural features.Lipids are biological compounds which, by definition, are insoluble in water. Taking into account this basic physico-chemical criterion, we primarily distinguish lipolytic esterases (L, acting on lipids) from nonlipolytic esterases (NL, not acting on lipids). In view of the biochemical data accumulated up to now, we proposed a new classification of esterases based on various criteria of physico-chemical, chemical, anatomical, or cellular nature. We believe that the present attempt matters scientifically for several reasons: (1) to help newcomers in the field, performing a few key experiments to figure out if a newly isolated esterase is lipolytic or not; (2) to clarify a debate between scientists in the field; and (3) to formulate questions which are relevant to the still unsolved problem of the structure-function relationships of esterases.

Phospholipase A2 purification and characterization: a case study.

We compared here the purification procedures, the pH, the calcium, the bile salts, and the temperature dependencies as well as the catalytic activities on phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) of two purified secreted PLA2 from chicken pancreatic (ChPLA2-IB) and chicken intestinal (ChPLA2-IIA) origins. Interestingly, ChPLA2-IB hydrolyzes efficiently both purified PC and PE, whereas ChPLA2-IIA hydrolyzes only PE and not PC, even after a long incubation period. These analytical results clearly indicate that the catalytic activity of ChPLA2-IIA, measured with the pH-stat and using egg yolk as substrate, is mainly due to the hydrolysis of the PE fraction present in egg yolk.

The molecular mechanism of human hormone-sensitive lipase inhibition by substituted 3-phenyl-5-alkoxy-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ones.

Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) plays an important role in the mobilization of free fatty acids (FFA) from adipocytes. The inhibition of HSL may offer a pharmacological approach to reduce FFA levels in plasma and diminish peripheral insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. In this work, the inhibition of HSL by substituted 3-phenyl-5-alkoxy-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ones has been studied in vitro. 5-methoxy-3-(3-phenoxyphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-one (compound 7600) and 5-methoxy-3-(3-methyl-4-phenylacetamidophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-one (compound 9368) were selected as the most potent HSL inhibitors. HSL is inhibited after few minutes of incubation with compound 7600, at a molar excess of 20. This inhibition is reversed in the presence of an emulsion of lipid substrate. The reactivation phenomenon is hardly observed when incubating HSL with compound 9368. The molecular mechanism underlying the reversible inhibition of HSL by compound 7600 was investigated using high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The stoichiometry of the inhibition reaction revealed that specifically one molecule of inhibitor was bound per enzyme molecule. The inhibition by compound 7600 involves a nucleophilic attack by the hydroxy group of the catalytic Ser of the enzyme on the carbon atom of the carbonyl moiety of the oxadiazolone ring of the inhibitor, leading to the formation of covalent enzyme-inhibitor intermediate. This covalent intermediate is subsequently hydrolyzed, releasing an oxadiazolone decomposition product, carbon dioxide and the active HSL form. On the basis of this study, a kinetic model is proposed to describe the inhibition of HSL by compound 7600 in the aqueous phase as well as its partial reactivation at the lipid-water interface.

Purification, biochemical and kinetic properties of recombinant Staphylococcus aureus lipase.

We have compared the purification procedures as well as the biochemical and kinetic properties of wild type (wt-SAL3), untagged recombinant (rec(-His)SAL3), and tagged recombinant (rec(+His)SAL3) purified forms of Staphylococcus aureus lipase (SAL3). We used the pH-stat method (with emulsified tributyrin and olive oil as substrates) and the monomolecular film technique (with the three dicaprin isomers spread in the form of monomolecular films at the air-water interface). The data obtained showed that the recombinant expression process as well as the presence of a his-tag at the N-terminus of recombinant SAL3 affects significantly many biochemical and catalytic properties. The effects of the heterologous expression process on the catalytic properties of the staphylococcal lipases are three times more deleterious than the presence of an N-terminal tag extension.

Kinetic properties of pancreatic and intestinal sPLA2 from chicken and mammals using the monomolecular film technique.

The interfacial kinetic and binding data for the pancreatic and intestinal sPLA2 from bird and mammals show that these enzymes have dramatically different ability to bind and hydrolyse phospholipids. The main conclusions from our experimental data indicate that phosphatidylcholine monolayers (PC), in contrast to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG), were resistant to the hydrolysis by human intestinal sPLA2. Conversely, chicken intestinal sPLA2 was found to be able to hydrolyse all the phospholipids tested, including PC. The experiments show also that the interfacial penetrating ability of chicken sPLA2 (from intestine and pancreas) was higher than their mammalian's orthologs. This observation is confirmed by the activity of pancreatic chicken PLA2 measured on PC film showing that the interfacial pressure window that permits sPLA2 activity was very large, between 5 and 20 dynes cm(-1), compared with the porcine pancreatic sPLA2-IB which was inactive at pressure above 15 dynes cm(-1). In trying to establish a structure-function relationship, we examined the surface electrostatic potentials of the various sPLA2 from chicken and mammals. We reported in this study that the binding, orientation and persistence of sPLA2 at the lipid-water interface is probably governed by the electrostatic and hydrophobic forces operative at this surface. These variations argue strongly that these enzymes are not isoforms and that they are expected to have functions other than the release of lipid mediators for the biosynthesis of the eicosanoids.

Heterologous expression and N-terminal His-tagging processes affect the catalytic properties of staphylococcal lipases: a monolayer study.

The interfacial and kinetic properties of wild type, untagged recombinant and tagged recombinant forms of three staphylococcal lipases (SSL, SXL and SAL3) were compared using the monomolecular film technique. A kinetic study on the dependence of the stereoselectivity of these nine lipase forms on the surface pressure was performed using the three dicaprin isomers spread in the form of monomolecular films at the air-water interface. New parameters, termed Recombinant expression Effects on Catalysis (REC), N-Tag Effects on Catalysis (TEC), and N-Tag and Recombinant expression Effects on Catalysis (TREC), were introduced. The findings obtained showed that with all the lipases tested, the recombinant expression process and the N-terminal His-tag slightly affect the sn-1 preference for dicaprin enantiomers as well as the penetration capacity into monomolecular films of phosphatidylcholine but significantly decrease the catalytic rate of hydrolysis of three dicaprin isomers. This rate reduction is more pronounced at high surface pressures, i.e. at low interfacial energies. In conclusion, the effects of the heterologous expression process on the catalytic properties of the staphylococcal lipases are three times more deleterious than the presence of an N-terminal tag extension. In the case of the situation most commonly encountered in the literature, i.e. the heterologous expression of a tagged lipase, the rate of catalysis can be decreased by these processes by 42-83% on average in comparison with the values measured with the corresponding wild type form.

Staphylococcal lipases stereoselectively hydrolyse the sn-2 position of monomolecular films of diglyceride analogs. Application to sn-2 hydrolysis of triolein.

Using the monomolecular film technique, a kinetic study on the stereoselectivity of nine staphylococcal lipase forms was carried out with three pairs of enantiomers from diglyceride analogs (didecanoyl-deoxyamino-O-methyl glycerol, DDG) containing a single hydrolysable decanoyl ester group and two lipase-resistant groups. Our results show that the kinetic profiles of the wild type, the recombinant untagged and the recombinant tagged forms of staphylococcal lipases are significantly different. As with most of the lipases investigated so far, these staphylococcal lipases showed higher catalytic rates with primary esters than with secondary esters. However, it is noteworthy that all these staphylococcal lipases were found to significantly hydrolyse the secondary ester group of diglyceride analogs, with a strong preference for the R configuration. This stereopreference, which was predicted on the basis of Kazlauskas' rule, was comparable to that of Candida rugosa and Pseudomonas glumae lipases. As was to be expected, all the staphylococcal lipases tested efficiently hydrolysed triolein at the sn-2 position. This hydrolytic activity was quantified by performing thin-layer chromatography to analyse the hydrolytic products of triolein. From the qualitative point of view, the sn-2 preferences observed with triolein and diglyceride analogs bearing a secondary ester function were in good agreement. Diglyceride analogs might therefore provide useful initial screening tools for use in future searches for strictly sn-2 specific lipases.

Probing the opening of the pancreatic lipase lid using site-directed spin labeling and EPR spectroscopy.

Access to the active site of human pancreatic lipase (HPL) is controlled by a surface loop (the lid) that undergoes a conformational change in the presence of amphiphiles and lipid substrate. The question of how and when the lid opens still remains to be elucidated, however. A paramagnetic probe was covalently bound to the lid via the D249C mutation, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was used to monitor the conformational change in solution. Two EPR spectral components, corresponding to distinct mobilities of the probe, were attributed to the closed and open conformations of the HPL lid, based on experiments performed with the E600 inhibitor. The open conformation of the lid was observed in solution at supramicellar bile salt concentrations. Colipase alone did not induce lid opening but increased the relative proportions of the open conformation in the presence of bile salts. The opening of the lid was found to be a reversible process. Using various colipase to lipase molar ratios, a correlation between the proportion of the open conformation and the catalytic activity of HPL was observed.

Continuous measurement of the lipoxygenase-catalyzed oxidation of unsaturated lipids using the monomolecular film technique.

PURPOSE: This paper presents the first detailed kinetic investigation involving the continuous measurement of the soybean lipoxygenase 1 (LOX1)-catalyzed oxidation of unsaturated lipids using the monomolecular film technique at an argon/water interface. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The presence of oxidation products in the monolayer is qualitatively detected, at a constant area, by an increase in the monolayer surface pressure. Alternatively, the rate of lipid oxidation can be measured, at a constant surface pressure, by a backward movement of the mobile barrier, due to the oxidation-dependent increase in the monolayer area. RESULTS: For instance, the LOX1-catalyzed oxidation of 1,2-di[cis-9,12-octadecadienoyl]-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (diC18:2PC) monolayer was found to be characterized by a time dependent increase in the monolayer area, at constant surface pressure. However, the increase in the monolayer area was thought to be caused first by the penetration of the enzyme into the interface, and secondly, by the formation of hydroperoxides at the interface, due to the LOX1-catalyzed oxidation of the diC18:2PC film. The rate of the LOX1-catalyzed oxidation of diC18:2PC film was measured by subtracting the increase in the area due to the LOX1-penetration into the non-oxidizable 1,2-di[cis-9-octadecenoyl]-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (diC18:1PC) film from the increase in the area due to LOX penetration and oxidation of the diC18:2PC film. At a constant optimum surface pressure of 1 mN m(-1), similar initial rates of LOX1-catalyzed oxidation are observed with both linoleic acid methyl ester (C18:2) and diC18:2PC. It is worth noting that the surface density of C18:2 acyl chains is also similar in both films. We observed that a phosphatidylcholine (PC) film with two potentially oxidizable chains (e.g., diC18:2PC) is oxidized at a rate which is twice that obtained with a PC containing a single oxidizable chain (e.g., 1-hexadecanoyl-2-[cis-9,12-octadecadienoyl]-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine). CONCLUSIONS: The enzymatic lipid oxidation seems to occur when the monolayer is in the expanded state. This expanded state may possibly result in vivo from the lipolysis of a biomembrane and consequently lipolysis and lipid oxidation are coupled at the membrane level.