engleski

The Investigation of Membrane Fluidity upon Externally Triggered Oxidation

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) appear in vivo and are involved in physiological signaling. However, the production of very high ROS levels can be triggered under various pathophysiological conditions causing the loss of structural and functional capacity of living cell. The free radical mediated membrane damage has been postulated in the oxidative stress and proposed as a key feature in different disorders. In this contribution the short overview of the on-going projects regarding the changes in membrane ordering/fluidity upon oxidation induced in-vitro will be given. The research is concentrated on plasma sperm cell membranes since the unusually high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids make these cells particularly susceptible to free radical attack. In addition, the oxidation of human low-density lipoproteins represents a challenge in understanding their involvement in the process of atherogenesis. The investigation relies on two different spectroscopic methods: electron paramagnetic resonance in combination with spin labeling and fluorescence spectroscopy. The experimental evidence will be presented of an increase in membrane ordering upon the oxidation has been triggered.

reactive oxigen species (ROS); membrane fluidity; electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR); fluorescence spectroscopy

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