Synthesis of novel phosphatidylcholine lipids with fatty acid chains bearing aromatic units. Generation of oxidatively stable, fluid phospholipid membranes

The first examples of diacylphospholipid analogs, which contain aromatic units at various depths of their hydrocarbon chains, have been synthesized. The membranes produced from the sonicated aqueous suspensions of these newly synthesized lipids are oxidatively stable and possess long shelf life. These membranes maintain fluid character at ambient temperature making them ideal for membrane protein reconstitution studies. Novel phosphatidylcholine lipids bearing aromatic units in their acyl chains (1-3) have been synthesized. These produce stable fluid vesicular membranes in water as revealed by electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry