Affiliations: Department of Bioscience, University of Strathclyde,
Glasgow, UK
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Dr C.M. Spickett, Department of
Bioscience, University of Strathclyde, Royal College Building, 204 George
Street, Glasgow, G1 1XW, UK. Tel.: +44 141 5483827; Fax: +44 141 5534124;
E-mail: c.m.spickett@strath.ac.uk
Abstract: The oxidation of lipids is important in many pathological conditions
and lipid peroxidation products such as 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) and other
aldehydes are commonly measured as biomarkers of oxidative stress. However, it
is often useful to complement this with analysis of the original oxidized
phospholipid. Electrospray mass spectrometry (ESMS) provides an informative
method for detecting oxidative alterations to phospholipids, and has been used
to investigate oxidative damage to cells, and low-density lipoprotein, as well
as for the analysis of oxidized phosphatidylcholines present in atherosclerotic
plaque material. There is increasing evidence that intact oxidized
phospholipids have biological effects; in particular, oxidation products of
1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerophosphocholine (PAPC) have been found to
cause inflammatory responses, which could be potentially important in the
progression of atherosclerosis. The effects of chlorohydrin derivatives of
lipids have been much less studied, but it is clear that free fatty acid
chlorohydrins and phosphatidylcholine chlorohydrins are toxic to cells at
concentrations above 10 micromolar, a range comparable to that of HNE and
oxidized PAPC. There is some evidence that chlorohydrins have biological
effects that may be relevant to atherosclerosis, but further work is needed to
elucidate their pro-inflammatory properties, and to understand the mechanisms
and balance of biological effects that could result from oxidation of complex
mixtures of lipids in a pathophysiological situation.
Keywords: Oxidized phospholipids, electrospray mass spectrometry, chlorohydrins, inflammation, atherosclerosis
Journal: BioFactors, vol. 24, no. 1-4, pp. 17-31, 2005
