Abstract

Vitamin E (α-tocopherol) is the major antioxidant in cell membranes. How when only present in very low concentration it can protect the comparatively large amount of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-containing phospholipids that are particularly susceptible to oxidative attack is an unanswered question. Here we investigate the hypothesis that α-tocopherol laterally segregates into domains enriched in PUFA-containing phospholipids, thereby amplifying the concentration of the vitamin in the place where it is most needed. A combination of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and solid state 2H NMR spectroscopy is employed to compare the molecular organization of α-tocopherol in 1,2-dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), 1-stearoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine (SOPC) and 1-stearoyl-2-docosahexaenoylphosphatiylcholine (SDPC) membranes. Our aim is to ascertain whether the highly disordered environment within polyunsaturated SDPC is more favorable to incorporation of α-tocopherol than the more ordered environment within saturated DPPC and monounsaturated SOPC.

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