Oxidized cholesteryl ester induces exocytosis of dysfunctional lysosomes in lipidotic macrophages.

A key event in atherogenesis is the formation of lipid-loaded macrophages, lipidotic cells, which exhibit irreversible accumulation of undigested modified low-density lipoproteins (LDL) in lysosomes. This event culminates in the loss of cell homeostasis, inflammation, and cell death. Nevertheless, the exact chemical etiology of atherogenesis and the molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for the impairment of lysosome function in plaque macrophages are still unknown. Here, we demonstrate that macrophages exposed to cholesteryl hemiazelate (ChA), one of the most prevalent products of LDL-derived cholesteryl ester oxidation, exhibit enlarged peripheral dysfunctional lysosomes full of undigested ChA and neutral lipids. Both lysosome area and accumulation of neutral lipids are partially irreversible. Interestingly, the dysfunctional peripheral lysosomes are more prone to fuse with the plasma membrane, secreting their undigested luminal content into the extracellular milieu with potential consequences for the pathology. We further demonstrate that this phenotype is mechanistically linked to the nuclear translocation of the MiT/TFE family of transcription factors. The induction of lysosome biogenesis by ChA appears to partially protect macrophages from lipid-induced cytotoxicity. In sum, our data show that ChA is involved in the etiology of lysosome dysfunction and promotes the exocytosis of these organelles. This latter event is a new mechanism that may be important in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

Effect of Acyl Chain Length on the Rate of Phospholipid Flip-Flop and Intermembrane Transfer.

The rate at which phospholipids equilibrate between different membranes and between the non-polar environments in biological fluids is of high importance in the understanding of biomembrane diversity, as well as in the development of liposomes for drug delivery. In this work, we characterize the rate of insertion into and desorption from POPC bilayers for a homologous series of amphiphiles with the fluorescent NBD group attached to phosphoethanolamines of different acyl chain lengths, NBD-diC n -PE with n = 6, 8, 10, and 12. The rate of translocation between bilayer leaflets was also characterized, providing all the relevant parameters for their interaction with lipid bilayers. The results are complemented with data for NBD-diC14-PE obtained from literature (Abreu et al. Biophys J 87:353-365, 2004; Moreno et al. Biophys J 91:873-881, 2006). The rate of translocation between the POPC leaflets is not dependent on the length of the acyl chains, while this affects strongly the rate of desorption from the bilayer. Insertion in the POPC bilayer is not diffusion controlled showing a significant dependence on the acyl chain length and on temperature. The results obtained are compared with those previously reported for NBD-LysoC14-PE (Sampaio et al. Biophys J 88:4064-4071, 2005), and with the homologous series of single chain amphiphiles NBD-C n (Cardoso et al. J Phys Chem B 114:16337-16346, 2010; J Phys Chem B 115:10098-10108, 2011). This allows the establishment of important relations between the rate constants for interaction with the lipid bilayers and the structural properties of the amphiphiles, namely the total surface and the cross-section of their non-polar region.

Cholesteryl hemiesters alter lysosome structure and function and induce proinflammatory cytokine production in macrophages.

RATIONALE: Cholesteryl hemiesters are oxidation products of polyunsaturated fatty acid esters of cholesterol. Their oxo-ester precursors have been identified as important components of the "core aldehydes" of human atheromata and in oxidized lipoproteins (Ox-LDL). We had previously shown, for the first time, that a single compound of this family, cholesteryl hemisuccinate (ChS), is sufficient to cause irreversible lysosomal lipid accumulation (lipidosis), and is toxic to macrophages. These features, coupled to others such as inflammation, are typically seen in atherosclerosis. OBJECTIVE: To obtain insights into the mechanism of cholesteryl hemiester-induced pathological changes in lysosome function and induction of inflammation in vitro and assess their impact in vivo. METHODS AND RESULTS: We have examined the effects of ChS on macrophages (murine cell lines and primary cultures) in detail. Specifically, lysosomal morphology, pH, and proteolytic capacity were examined. Exposure of macrophages to sub-toxic ChS concentrations caused enlargement of the lysosomes, changes in their luminal pH, and accumulation of cargo in them. In primary mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM), ChS-exposure increased the secretion of IL-1ß, TNF-α and IL-6. In zebrafish larvae (wild-type AB and PU.1:EGFP), fed with a ChS-enriched diet, we observed lipid accumulation, myeloid cell-infiltration in their vasculature and decrease in larval survival. Under the same conditions the effects of ChS were more profound than the effects of free cholesterol (FC). CONCLUSIONS: Our data strongly suggest that cholesteryl hemiesters are pro-atherogenic lipids able to mimic features of Ox-LDL both in vitro and in vivo.

In Vitro Activity of Quaternary Ammonium Surfactants against Streptococcal, Chlamydial, and Gonococcal Infective Agents.

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) are widely used, cheap, and chemically stable disinfectants and topical antiseptics with wide-spectrum antimicrobial activities. Within this group of compounds, we recently showed that there are significant differences between the pharmacodynamics of n-alkyl quaternary ammonium surfactants (QAS) with a short (C12) alkyl chain when in vitro toxicities toward bacterial and mammalian epithelial cells are compared. These differences result in an attractive therapeutic window that justifies studying short-chain QAS as prophylactics for sexually transmitted infections (STI) and perinatal vertically transmitted urogenital infections (UGI). We have evaluated the antimicrobial activities of short-chain (C12) n-alkyl QAS against several STI and UGI pathogens as well as against commensal Lactobacillus species. Inhibition of infection of HeLa cells by Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis was studied at concentrations that were not toxic to the HeLa cells. We show that the pathogenic bacteria are much more susceptible to QAS toxic effects than the commensal vaginal flora and that QAS significantly attenuate the infectivity of N. gonorrhoeae and C. trachomatis without affecting the viability of epithelial cells of the vaginal mucosa. N-Dodecylpyridinium bromide (C12PB) was found to be the most effective QAS. Our results strongly suggest that short-chain (C12) n-alkyl pyridinium bromides and structurally similar compounds are promising microbicide candidates for topical application in the prophylaxis of STI and perinatal vertical transmission of UGI.

Quaternary ammonium surfactant structure determines selective toxicity towards bacteria: mechanisms of action and clinical implications in antibacterial prophylaxis.

OBJECTIVES: Broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity of quaternary ammonium surfactants (QAS) makes them attractive and cheap topical prophylactic options for sexually transmitted infections and perinatal vertically transmitted urogenital infections. Although attributed to their high affinity for biological membranes, the mechanisms behind QAS microbicidal activity are not fully understood. We evaluated how QAS structure affects antimicrobial activity and whether this can be exploited for use in prophylaxis of bacterial infections. METHODS: Acute toxicity of QAS to in vitro models of human epithelial cells and bacteria were compared to identify selective and potent bactericidal agents. Bacterial cell viability, membrane integrity, cell cycle and metabolism were evaluated to establish the mechanisms involved in selective toxicity of QAS. RESULTS: QAS toxicity normalized relative to surfactant critical micelle concentration showed n-dodecylpyridinium bromide (C12PB) to be the most effective, with a therapeutic index of ∼10 for an MDR strain of Escherichia coli and >20 for Neisseria gonorrhoeae after 1 h of exposure. Three modes of QAS antibacterial action were identified: impairment of bacterial energetics and cell division at low concentrations; membrane permeabilization and electron transport inhibition at intermediate doses; and disruption of bacterial membranes and cell lysis at concentrations close to the critical micelle concentration. In contrast, toxicity to mammalian cells occurs at higher concentrations and, as we previously reported, results primarily from mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptotic cell death. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that short chain (C12) n-alkyl pyridinium bromides have a sufficiently large therapeutic window to be good microbicide candidates.

Quantification of Cholesterol Solubilized in Dietary Micelles: Dependence on Human Bile Salt Variability and the Presence of Dietary Food Ingredients.

The solubility of cholesterol in bile salt (BS) micelles is important to understand the availability of cholesterol for absorption in the intestinal epithelium and to develop strategies to decrease cholesterol intake from the intestinal lumen. This has been the subject of intense investigation, due to the established relation between the development of diseases such as atherosclerosis and high levels of cholesterol in the blood. In this work we quantify the effect of BS variability on the amount of cholesterol solubilized. The effect of some known hypocholesterolemic agents usually found in the diet is also evaluated, as well as some insight regarding the mechanisms involved. The results show that, depending on the bile salt composition, the average value of sterol per micelle is equal to or lower than 1. The amount of cholesterol solubilized in the BS micelles is essentially equal to its total concentration until the solubility limit is reached. Altogether, this indicates that the maximum cholesterol solubility in the BS micellar solution is the result of saturation of the aqueous phase and depends on the partition coefficient of cholesterol between the aqueous phase and the micellar pseudophase. The effect on cholesterol maximum solubility for several food ingredients usually encountered in the diet was characterized using methodology developed recently by us. This method allows the simultaneous quantification of both cholesterol and food ingredient solubilized in the BS micelles even in the presence of larger aggregates, therefore avoiding their physical separation with possible impacts on the overall equilibrium. The phytosterols stigmasterol and stigmastanol significantly decreased cholesterol solubility with a concomitant reduction in the total amount of sterol solubilized, most pronounced for stigmasterol. Those results point toward coprecipitation being the major cause for the decrease in cholesterol solubilization by the BS micelles. The presence of tocopherol and oleic acid leads to a small decrease in the amount of cholesterol solubilized while palmitic acid slightly increases the solubility of cholesterol. Those dietary food ingredients are completely solubilized by the BS micelles, indicating that the effects on cholesterol solubility are due to changes in the properties of the mixed micelles.

Interaction of Bile Salts with Model Membranes Mimicking the Gastrointestinal Epithelium: A Study by Isothermal Titration Calorimetry.

Bile salts (BS) are biosurfactants synthesized in the liver and secreted into the intestinal lumen where they solubilize cholesterol and other hydrophobic compounds facilitating their gastrointestinal absorption. Partition of BS toward biomembranes is an important step in both processes. Depending on the loading of the secreted BS micelles with endogeneous cholesterol and on the amount of cholesterol from diet, this may lead to the excretion or absorption of cholesterol, from cholesterol-saturated membranes in the liver or to gastrointestinal membranes, respectively. The partition of BS toward the gastrointestinal membranes may also affect the barrier properties of those membranes affecting the permeability for hydrophobic and amphiphilic compounds. Two important parameters in the interaction of the distinct BS with biomembranes are their partition coefficient and the rate of diffusion through the membrane. Altogether, they allow the calculation of BS local concentrations in the membrane as well as their asymmetry in both membrane leaflets. The local concentration and, most importantly, its asymmetric distribution in the bilayer are a measure of induced membrane perturbation, which is expected to significantly affect its properties as a cholesterol donor and hydrophobic barrier. In this work we have characterized the partition of several BS, nonconjugated and conjugated with glycine, to large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) in the liquid-disordered phase and with liquid-ordered/liquid-disordered phase coexistence, using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). The partition into the liquid-disordered bilayer was characterized by large partition coefficients and favored by enthalpy, while association with the more ordered membrane was weak and driven only by the hydrophobic effect. The trihydroxy BS partitions less efficiently toward the membranes but shows faster translocation rates, in agreement with a membrane protective effect of those BS. The rate of translocation through the more ordered membrane was faster, indicating accumulation of BS at specific locations in this membrane.

Homeostasis of free cholesterol in the blood: a preliminary evaluation and modeling of its passive transport.

The rate of noncatalyzed transfer of cholesterol (Chol) among lipoproteins and cells in the blood is of fundamental importance as a baseline to assess the role of active transport mechanisms, but remains unknown. Here we address this gap by characterizing the associa-tion of the Chol analog, ergosta-5,7,9(11),22-tetraen-3ß-ol (DHE), with the lipoproteins VLDL, LDL, HDL2, and HDL3 Combining these results with data for the association of DHE with liposomes, we elaborated a kinetic model for the noncatalyzed exchange of free Chol among blood compartments. The computational results are in good agreement with experimental values. The small deviations are explained by the nonequilibrium distribution of unesterified Chol in vivo, due to esterification and entry of new unesterified Chol, and eventual effects introduced by incubations at low temperatures. The kinetic profile of the homeostasis of unesterified Chol in the blood predicted by the model developed in this work is in good agreement with the observations in vivo, highlighting the importance of passive processes.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is the focus of quaternary ammonium surfactant toxicity to mammalian epithelial cells.

Surfactants have long been known to have microbicidal action and have been extensively used as antiseptics and disinfectants for a variety of general hygiene and clinical purposes. Among surfactants, quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) are known to be the most useful antiseptics and disinfectants. However, our previous toxicological studies showed that QAC are also the most toxic surfactants for mammalian cells. An understanding of the mechanisms that underlie QAC toxicity is a crucial first step in their rational use and in the design and development of more effective and safer molecules. We show that QAC-induced toxicity is mediated primarily through mitochondrial dysfunction in mammalian columnar epithelial cell cultures in vitro. Toxic effects begin at sublethal concentrations and are characterized by mitochondrial fragmentation accompanied by decreased cellular energy charge. At very low concentrations, several QAC act on mitochondrial bioenergetics through a common mechanism of action, primarily by inhibiting mitochondrial respiration initiated at complex I and, to a lesser extent, by slowing down coupled ADP phosphorylation. The result is a reduction of cellular energy charge which, when reduced below 50% of its original value, induces apoptosis. The lethal effects are shown to be primarily a result of this process. At higher doses (closer to the critical micellar concentration), QAC induce the complete breakdown of cellular energy charge and necrotic cell death.

Cholesterol and POPC segmental order parameters in lipid membranes: solid state 1H-13C NMR and MD simulation studies.

The concentration of cholesterol in cell membranes affects membrane fluidity and thickness, and might regulate different processes such as the formation of lipid rafts. Since interpreting experimental data from biological membranes is rather intricate, investigations on simple models with biological relevance are necessary to understand the natural systems. We study the effect of cholesterol on the molecular structure of multi-lamellar vesicles (MLVs) composed of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC), a phospholipid ubiquitous in cell membranes, with compositions in the range 0-60 mol% cholesterol. Order parameters, |S(CH)|, are experimentally determined by using (1)H-(13)C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy with segmental detail for all parts of both the cholesterol and POPC molecules, namely the ring system and alkyl chain of the sterol, as well as the glycerol backbone, choline headgroup and the sn-1 and sn-2 acyl chains of POPC. With increasing cholesterol concentration the acyl chains gradually adopt a more extended conformation while the orientation and dynamics of the polar groups are rather unaffected. Additionally, we perform classical molecular dynamics simulations on virtual bilayers mimicking the POPC-cholesterol MLVs investigated by NMR. Good agreement between experiments and simulations is found for the cholesterol alignment in the bilayer and for the |S(CH)| profiles of acyl chains below 15 mol% cholesterol. Deviations occur for the choline headgroup and glycerol backbone parts of POPC, as well as for the phospholipid and cholesterol alkyl chains at higher cholesterol concentrations. The unprecedented detail of the NMR data enables a more complete comparison between simulations and experiments on POPC-cholesterol bilayers and may aid in developing more realistic model descriptions of biological membranes.

Kinetics and thermodynamics of chlorpromazine interaction with lipid bilayers: effect of charge and cholesterol.

Passive transport across cell membranes is the major route for the permeation of xenobiotics through tight endothelia such as the blood­brain barrier. The rate of passive permeation through lipid bilayers for a given drug is therefore a critical step in the prediction of its pharmacodynamics. We describe a detailed study on the kinetics and thermodynamics for the interaction of chlorpromazine (CPZ), an antipsychotic drug used in the treatment of schizophrenia, with neutral and negatively charged lipid bilayers. Isothermal titration calorimetry was used to study the partition and translocation of CPZ in lipid membranes composed of pure POPC, POPC:POPS (9:1), and POPC:Chol:POPS (6:3:1). The membrane charge due to the presence of POPS as well as the additional charge resulting from the introduction of CPZ in the membrane were taken into account, allowing the calculation of the intrinsic partition coefficients (K(P)) and the enthalpy change (ΔH) associated with the process. The enthalpy change upon partition to all lipid bilayers studied is negative, but a significant entropy contribution was also observed for partition to the neutral membrane. Because of the positive charge of CPZ, the presence of negatively charged lipids in the bilayer increases both the observed amount of CPZ that partitions to the membrane (KP(obs)) and the magnitude of ΔH. However, when the electrostatic effects are discounted, the intrinsic partition coefficient was smaller, indicating that the hydrophobic contribution was less significant for the negatively charged membrane. The presence of cholesterol strongly decreases the affinity of CPZ for the bilayer in terms of both the amount of CPZ that associates with the membrane and the interaction enthalpy. A quantitative characterization of the rate of CPZ translocation through membranes composed of pure POPC and POPC:POPS (9:1) was also performed using an innovative methodology developed in this work based on the kinetics of the heat evolved due to the interaction of CPZ with the membranes.

Quantification of cholesterol solubilized in bile salt micellar aqueous solutions using (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance.

In this work, we develop a methodology to quantitatively follow the solubilization of cholesterol on glycodeoxycholic acid (GDCA) micelles using (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The amount of solubilized cholesterol enriched in (13)C at position 4, [4-(13)C]cholesterol, was quantified from the area of its resonance, at 44.5 ppm, using the CH(2) groups from GDCA as an internal reference. The loading of the micelles with cholesterol leads to a quantitative upper field shift of most carbons in the nonpolar surface of GDCA, and this was used to follow the solubilization of unlabeled cholesterol. The solubilization followed a pseudo first-order kinetics with a characteristic time constant of 3.6 h, and the maximum solubility of cholesterol in 50 mM total lipid (GDCA + cholesterol) is 3.0 ± 0.1mM, corresponding to a mean occupation number per micelle ≥1. The solubilization profile indicates that the affinity of cholesterol for the GDCA micelles is unaffected by the presence of the solute, leading essentially to full solubilization up to the saturation limit. The relaxation times of GDCA carbons at 50mM give information regarding its aggregation and indicate that GDCA is associated in small micelles (hydrodynamic [Rh] = 1.1 nm) without any evidence for formation of larger secondary micelles. This was confirmed by dynamic light scattering results.

Shotgun mass spectrometry-based lipid profiling identifies and distinguishes between chronic inflammatory diseases.

BACKGROUND: Localized stress and cell death in chronic inflammatory diseases may release tissue-specific lipids into the circulation causing the blood plasma lipidome to reflect the type of inflammation. However, deep lipid profiles of major chronic inflammatory diseases have not been compared. METHODS: Plasma lipidomes of patients suffering from two etiologically distinct chronic inflammatory diseases, atherosclerosis-related vascular disease, including cardiovascular (CVD) and ischemic stroke (IS), and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), were screened by a top-down shotgun mass spectrometry-based analysis without liquid chromatographic separation and compared to each other and to age-matched controls. Lipid profiling of 596 lipids was performed on a cohort of 427 individuals. Machine learning classifiers based on the plasma lipidomes were used to distinguish the two chronic inflammatory diseases from each other and from the controls. FINDINGS: Analysis of the lipidomes enabled separation of the studied chronic inflammatory diseases from controls based on independent validation test set classification performance (CVD vs control - Sensitivity: 0.94, Specificity: 0.88; IS vs control - Sensitivity: 1.0, Specificity: 1.0; SLE vs control - Sensitivity: 1, Specificity: 0.93) and from each other (SLE vs CVD ‒ Sensitivity: 0.91, Specificity: 1; IS vs SLE - Sensitivity: 1, Specificity: 0.82). Preliminary linear discriminant analysis plots using all data clearly separated the clinical groups from each other and from the controls, and partially separated CVD severities, as classified into five clinical groups. Dysregulated lipids are partially but not fully counterbalanced by statin treatment. INTERPRETATION: Dysregulation of the plasma lipidome is characteristic of chronic inflammatory diseases. Lipid profiling accurately identifies the diseases and in the case of CVD also identifies sub-classes. FUNDING: Full list of funding sources at the end of the manuscript.

Effect of dipole moment on amphiphile solubility and partition into liquid ordered and liquid disordered phases in lipid bilayers.

Association of amphiphiles with biomembranes is important for their availability at specific locations in organisms and cells, being critical for their biological function. A prominent role is usually attributed to the hydrophobic effect, and to electrostatic interactions between charged amphiphiles and lipids. This work explores a closely related and complementary aspect, namely the contribution made by dipole moments to the strength of the interactions established. Two xanthene amphiphiles with opposite relative orientations of their dipole and amphiphilic moments have been selected (Rhodamine-C14 and Carboxyfluorescein-C14). The membranes studied have distinct lipid compositions, representing typical cell membrane pools, ranging from internal membranes to the outer and inner leaflet of the plasma membrane. A comprehensive study is reported, including the affinity of the amphiphiles for the different membranes, the stability of the amphiphiles as monomers and their tendency to form small clusters, as well as their transverse location in the membrane. The orientation of the amphiphile dipole moment, which determines whether its interaction with the membrane dipole potential is repulsive or attractive, is found to exert a large influence on the association of the amphiphile with ordered lipid membranes. These interactions are also responsible for the formation of small clusters or stabilization of amphiphile monomers in the membrane. The results obtained allow understanding the prevalence of protein lipidation at the N-terminal for efficient targeting to the plasma membrane, as well as the tendency of GPI-anchored proteins (usually lipidated at the C-terminal) to form small clusters in the membrane ordered domains.

Cholesterol is Inefficiently Converted to Cholesteryl Esters in the Blood of Cardiovascular Disease Patients.

Shotgun lipidomic analysis of 203 lipids in 13 lipid classes performed on blood plasma of donors who had just suffered an acute coronary syndrome (ACS, n = 74), or an ischemic stroke (IS, n = 21), or who suffer from stable angina pectoris (SAP, n = 78), and an age-matched control cohort (n = 52), showed some of the highest inter-lipid class correlations between cholesteryl esters (CE) and phosphatidylcholines (PC) sharing a common fatty acid. The concentration of lysophospatidylcholine (LPC) and ratios of concentrations of CE to free cholesterol (Chol) were also lower in the CVD cohorts than in the control cohort, indicating a deficient conversion of Chol to CE in the blood plasma in the CVD subjects. A non-equilibrium reaction quotient, Q', describing the global homeostasis of cholesterol as manifested in the blood plasma was shown to have a value in the CVD cohorts (Q'ACS = 0.217 ± 0.084; Q'IS = 0.201 ± 0.084; Q'SAP = 0.220 ± 0.071) that was about one third less than in the control cohort (Q'Control = 0.320 ± 0.095, p < 1 × 10-4), suggesting its potential use as a rapid predictive/diagnostic measure of CVD-related irregularities in cholesterol homeostasis.

Kinetics and thermodynamics of the association of dehydroergosterol with lipid bilayer membranes.

We have examined the detailed kinetics and thermodynamics of the association of Ergosta-5,7,9(11),22-tetraen-3beta-ol (dehydroergosterol, DHE) with lipid bilayers prepared from 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC), a 1:1 binary mixture of POPC and cholesterol (Chol), and a 6:4 binary mixture of egg sphingomyelin (SpM) and Chol. Association of DHE with all three membranes was shown to be entropically driven, most so in the case of SpM-Chol bilayers. Equilibrium partition coefficients for partitioning of DHE between the lipid phase and the aqueous phase were shown to be similar for POPC and POPC-Chol bilayers between 15 and 35 degrees C. Partitioning into the SpM-Chol bilayer is favored at higher temperatures and there is a crossover in solubility preference at approximately 25 degrees C. Insertion (k(+)) and desorption (k(-)) rate constants were shown to be very similar for POPC and POPC-Chol bilayer membranes, but were lower for SpM-Chol bilayers. Similar results were previously reported by us for the association of other amphiphiles with these membranes. We propose a model for the microscopic structure of a POPC-Chol (1:1) bilayer membrane that is consistent with these observations.

Synthesis and characterization of a lipidic alpha amino acid: solubility and interaction with serum albumin and lipid bilayers.

The lipidic α-amino acid with 11 carbons in the alkyl lateral chain (α-aminotridecanoic acid) was synthesized via multicomponent hydroformylation/Strecker reaction, which is a greener synthetic approach to promote this transformation relative to previously described methods. Its solubility and aggregation behavior in aqueous solutions was characterized, as well as the interaction with lipid bilayers. Lipidic amino acids are very promising molecules in the development of prodrugs with increased bioavailability due to the presence of the two polar functional groups and nonpolar alkyl chain. They are also biocompatible surfactants that may be used in the food and pharmaceutical industry. In this work we have conjugated the lipidic amino acid with a fluorescent polar group (7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl), to mimic drug conjugates, and its association with serum proteins and lipid bilayers was characterized. The results obtained indicate that conjugates of polar molecules with lipidic α-amino acid, via covalent attachment to the amine group, have a relatively high solubility in aqueous solutions due to their negative global charge. They bind to serum albumin with intermediate affinity and show a very high partition coefficient into lipid bilayers in the liquid-disordered state. The attachment of the polar group to the lipidic amino acid increased strongly the aqueous solubility of the amphiphile, although the partition coefficient into lipid membranes was not significantly reduced. Conjugation of polar drugs with lipidic amino acids is therefore an efficient approach to increase their affinity for biomembranes.

Molecular etiology of atherogenesis--in vitro induction of lipidosis in macrophages with a new LDL model.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis starts by lipid accumulation in the arterial intima and progresses into a chronic vascular inflammatory disease. A major atherogenic process is the formation of lipid-loaded macrophages in which a breakdown of the endolysomal pathway results in irreversible accumulation of cargo in the late endocytic compartments with a phenotype similar to several forms of lipidosis. Macrophages exposed to oxidized LDL exihibit this phenomenon in vitro and manifest an impaired degradation of internalized lipids and enhanced inflammatory stimulation. Identification of the specific chemical component(s) causing this phenotype has been elusive because of the chemical complexity of oxidized LDL. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Lipid "core aldehydes" are formed in oxidized LDL and exist in atherosclerotic plaques. These aldehydes are slowly oxidized in situ and (much faster) by intracellular aldehyde oxidizing systems to cholesteryl hemiesters. We show that a single cholesteryl hemiester incorporated into native, non-oxidized LDL induces a lipidosis phenotype with subsequent cell death in macrophages. Internalization of the cholesteryl hemiester via the native LDL vehicle induced lipid accumulation in a time- and concentration-dependent manner in "frozen" endolysosomes. Quantitative shotgun lipidomics analysis showed that internalized lipid in cholesteryl hemiester-intoxicated cells remained largely unprocessed in those lipid-rich organelles. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The principle elucidated with the present cholesteryl hemiester-containing native-LDL model, extended to other molecular components of oxidized LDL, will help in defining the molecular etiology and etiological hierarchy of atherogenic agents.

In vitro surfactant structure-toxicity relationships: implications for surfactant use in sexually transmitted infection prophylaxis and contraception.

BACKGROUND: The need for woman-controlled, cheap, safe, effective, easy-to-use and easy-to-store topical applications for prophylaxis against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) makes surfactant-containing formulations an interesting option that requires a more fundamental knowledge concerning surfactant toxicology and structure-activity relationships. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We report in vitro effects of surfactant concentration, exposure time and structure on the viability of mammalian cell types typically encountered in the vagina, namely, fully polarized and confluent epithelial cells, confluent but non-polarized epithelial-like cells, dendritic cells, and human sperm. Representatives of the different families of commercially available surfactants--nonionic (Triton X-100 and monolaurin), zwitterionic (DDPS), anionic (SDS), and cationic (C(n)TAB (n = 10 to 16), C(12)PB, and C(12)BZK)--were examined. Triton X-100, monolaurin, DDPS and SDS were toxic to all cell types at concentrations around their critical micelle concentration (CMC) suggesting a non-selective mode of action involving cell membrane destabilization and/or destruction. All cationic surfactants were toxic at concentrations far below their CMC and showed significant differences in their toxicity toward polarized as compared with non-polarized cells. Their toxicity was also dependent on the chemical nature of the polar head group. Our results suggest an intracellular locus of action for cationic surfactants and show that their structure-activity relationships could be profitably exploited for STI prophylaxis in vaginal gel formulations. The therapeutic indices comparing polarized epithelial cell toxicity to sperm toxicity for all surfactants examined, except C(12)PB and C(12)BZK, does not justify their use as contraceptive agents. C(12)PB and C(12)BZK are shown to have a narrow therapeutic index recommending caution in their use in contraceptive formulations. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results contribute to understanding the mechanisms involved in surfactant toxicity, have a predictive value with regard to their safety, and may be used to design more effective and less harmful surfactants for use in topical applications for STI prophylaxis.

Study of the miscibility of cholesteryl oleate in a matrix of ceramide, cholesterol and fatty acid.

Cholesteryl esters (CE) are not generally abundant but are ubiquitous in living organisms and have markedly different properties from cholesterol because of their acyl chain. The miscibility/immiscibility of CE with biological lipid structures is a key property for their functions. In this work we study the solubility of cholesteryl oleate (ChO) in a model of the stratum corneum lipid matrix composed of ceramide C16, cholesterol and palmitic acid in excess water. Experiments were done in conditions of fully ionized (pH=9.0) and fully neutralized fatty acid (pH=4.0), and differential scanning calorimetry of the ternary mixtures with added ChO at pH=9.0 clearly displayed a main transition with the same maximum temperature, peak shape, and enthalpy, suggesting that ChO was excluded from the remaining lipids. This technique is not conclusive at pH=4.0 because the transitions of the lipid matrix and ChO overlap. The insolubility of ChO at both pH values is supported by X-ray diffraction. Adding the ceramide:cholesterol:fatty acid lipid mixture to ChO did not change the X-ray pattern of the mixture nor that of the ChO. To supplement the above physical techniques, we applied (13)C MAS NMR spectroscopy with C-13 carbonyl-labeled ChO. A single (13)C carbonyl peak from the ChO at 171.5 ppm was observed, indicating exposure to only one environment. The chemical shift was identical to pure ChO below and above the temperature of isotropic liquid formation. Taken together, our results lead to the conclusion that the solubility of ChO is negligible in the ceramide:cholesterol:fatty acid lipid mixture.