The effect of resorcinolic lipids on phospholipid hydrolysis by phospholipase A2

Cell ATP level of Saccharomyces cerevisiae sensitively responds to culture growth and drug-inflicted variations in membrane integrity and PDR pump activity

Cellular ATP level in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was measured during culture growth of strain US50-18C overproducing all major PDR pumps and its isogenic mutants variously deleted in these pumps. It was found to be inversely proportional to the intensity of cell metabolism during different growth phases and to the activity of PDR pumps, which are thus among major ATP consumers in the cells. The ATP level was increased when membrane integrity was affected by 0.5% butanol, and further increased by compound 23.1, a semisynthetic phenol lipid derivative that acts as inhibitor of Pdr5p and Snq2p pumps. The magnitude of increase in cell ATP caused by inhibition of Pdr5p pump by compound 23.1 and the Pdr5p pump inhibitor FK506 used for comparison reflects the activity and hence the energy demand of the pump. The rise in cell ATP caused by different PDR pump inhibitors can be thus used as an indicator of pump activity and the potency of the inhibitor.

Biological activity of phenolic lipids

Phenolic lipids are a very diversified group of compounds derived from mono and dihydroxyphenols, i.e., phenol, catechol, resorcinol, and hydroquinone. Due to their strong amphiphilic character, these compounds can incorporate into erythrocytes and liposomal membranes. In this review, the antioxidant, antigenotoxic, and cytostatic activities of resorcinolic and other phenolic lipids are described. The ability of these compounds to inhibit bacterial, fungal, protozoan and parasite growth seems to depend on their interaction with proteins and/or on their membrane-disturbing properties.

Initial members of the family of molecular mid-valent high-nuclearity iron nitrides: [Fe4N2X10]4- and [Fe10N8X12]5- (X = Cl-, Br-)

Current theoretical and experimental evidence points toward X = N as the identity of the interstitial atom in the [MoFe7S9X] core of the iron-molybdenum cofactor cluster of nitrogenase. This atom functions with mu6 bridging multiplicity to six iron atoms and, if it is nitrogen as nitride, raises a question as to the existence of a family of molecular iron nitrides of higher nuclearity than known dinuclear Fe(III,IV) species with linear [Fe-N-Fe]5+,4+ bridges. This matter has been initially examined by variation of reactant stoichiometry in the self-assembly systems [FeX4]1-/(Me3Sn)3N (X = Cl-, Br-) in acetonitrile. A 2:1 mol ratio affords [Fe4N2Cl10]4- (1), isolated as the Et4N+ salt (72%). This cluster has idealized C2h symmetry with a planar antiferromagnetically coupled [Fe(III)4(mu3-N)2]6+ core containing an Fe2N2 rhombus to which are attached two FeCl3 units. DFT calculations have been performed to determine the dominant magnetic exchange pathway. An 11:8 mol ratio leads to [Fe10N8Cl12]5- (3) as the Et4N+ salt (37%). The cluster possesses idealized D2h symmetry and is built of 15 edge- and vertex-shared rhomboids involving two mu3-N and six mu4-N bridging atoms, and incorporates two of the core units of 1. Four FeN2Cl2 and four FeN3Cl sites are tetrahedral and two FeN5 sites are trigonal pyramidal. The cluster is mixed-valence (9Fe(III) + Fe(IV)); a discrete Fe(IV) site was not detected by crystallography or Mössbauer spectroscopy. The corresponding clusters [Fe4N2Br10]4- and [Fe10N8Br12]5- are isostructural with 1 and 3, respectively. Future research is directed toward defining the scope of the family of molecular iron nitrides.

The effect of merulinic acid on biomembranes

Merulinic acid (heptadecenylresorcinolic acid, resorcinolic acid) is one of the members of resorcinolic lipids, the natural amphiphilic long-chain homologues of orcinol (1,3-dihydroksy-5-methylbenzene). In the present study, membrane properties of merulinic acid were investigated. Merulinic acid exhibits strong haemolytic activity against sheep erythrocytes (EH50 of 5+/-2 microM) regardless of the form of its application-direct injection into the erythrocyte suspension or injection as merulinic acid-enriched liposomes. The lysis of erythrocytes induced by merulinic acid was inhibited by the presence of divalent cations. The effectivity of the protection of erythrocytes was highest for Zn2+ and weakest for Mn2+. Merulinic acid at low concentrations also exhibits the ability for protection of cells against their lysis in hypoosmotic solutions. This protective effect is significant as, at 10 microM concentration of merulinic acid, the extent of osmotically induced cell lysis is reduced by approximately 40%. Merulinic acid induces increased permeability of liposomal vesicles. This effect was shown to be dependent on the composition of liposomal bilayer and it was stronger when lipid bilayer contained glycolipids (MGDG and DGDG) and sphingomyelin. Changes of TMA-DPH and NBD-PE fluorescence polarization show that the degree of merulinic acid incorporation into liposomal membrane is not very high. The polar "heads" of the molecules of investigated compounds are localized on the level of fatty acid's ester bonds in phospholipid molecules. Merulinic acid caused the increased fluorescence of the membrane potential fragile probe. This indicated an alteration of the surface charge and a decrease of the local pH at the membrane surface. This effect was visible in both low- and high-ionic strength environment. Merulinic acid causes also a decrease in activity of the membrane-bound enzyme acetylcholinesterase.

Formation of liposomes by resorcinolic lipids, single-chain phenolic amphiphiles from Anacardium occidentale L

Resorcinolic lipids isolated from Anacardium occidentale nut oil extract (CNSL), unsaturated congeners of those isolated from bacterial and graminaceous sources, form at alkaline conditions liposomal structures alone as well as in the mixtures with cholesterol, fatty acids or phosphatidylethanolamine. Those vesicular structures show relatively high entrapment of the marker and stability of their size. The retention of the captured solute depends upon the type of resorcinolic lipid and on the temperature, but in general, is lower than control phospholipid liposomes.