A "1H nuclear magnetic resonance study of structural and organisational changes in the cell

Increasing importance is being placed on understanding the role of membrane lipids in many different areas of biochemistry. It is of interest to determine what interactions may occur between membrane lipids and drug species. Furthermore, an increasing body of evidence suggests that membrane lipids are involved in the pathology of numerous diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and HIV. Clearly, the more information available on the mechanisms involved in diseases, the greater the potential for identifying a cure or even a prevention. "1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to study the alterations in membrane lipid organisation and structure in intact, viable cultured cells. Changes in the "1H NMR spectra and the spin-lattice relaxation measurements of the human K562 and the rat FRTL-5 cell lines were observed on the addition of the fatty acid species: triolein, evening primrose oil, arachidonic acid and ITF 1779. Results indicate that the membrane lipids are reorganised to accommodate the interpolation of these molecules. The spatial arrangement adopted by each of these species appeared to dictate its effect on the lipids. Doxorubicin and menadione, both known to cause oxidative stress, were added to K562 cells. Although both agents are known to act by different mechanisms, the NMR data and scanning electron microscopy suggested that both caused similar alterations in the membrane organisation and lipid fluidity. Protrusions were formed indicating areas of weakness in the membrane. Spin-echo NMR was employed to investigate the action of the thiol-containing compounds, penicillamine, captopril and N-acetylcysteine in erythrocytes under conditions of oxidative stress. Results indicate that while captopril acts as a free radical scavenger, penicillamine may act as either oxidant or reductant. N-acetylcysteine was observed to act as a reducing agent. (author)Available from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DXN055879 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo