Radiation induced oxidative damage modification by cholesterol in liposomal membrane

Abstract

Abstract Ionizing radiation induced structural and chemical alterations in egg lecithin liposomal membrane have been studied by measurements of lipid peroxides, conjugated diene and fluorescence polarization. Predominantly unilamellar phospholipid vesicles prepared by sonication procedure were subjected to radiation doses of γ -rays from Co-60 in aerated, buffered aqueous suspensions. The oxidative damage in irradiated lipid molecules of liposomes has been determined spectrophotometrically by diene conjugate formation and thiobarbituric acid reactive (TBAR) method as a function of radiation dose. A correlation was found between the radiation dose applied (0.1–1 kGy) and the consequent lipid oxidation. The damage produced in irradiated liposomal membrane was measured by 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) fluorescence decay and polarization. The observed decrease in DPH fluorescence and increase in polarization was found dependent on the radiation dose suggesting alterations in rigidity or organizational order in phospholipid bilayer after irradiation. Furthermore, irradiated liposome vesicles composed of cholesterol showed marked reduction in observed radiation mediated peroxide formation and significantly affected the DPH fluorescence parameters. The magnitude of these modifying effects were found dependent on the mole fraction of cholesterol. It is concluded that modulation of structural order in unilamellar vesicle membrane by variations in basic molecular components controlled the magnitude of lipid peroxidation and diene conjugate formation. These observations contribute to our understanding of mechanism of radical reaction mediated damage caused by ionizing radiation in phospholipid membrane.