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Release of polyunsaturated fatty acids from phospholipids and alteration of brain membrane integrity by oxygen‐derived free radicals
Author(s) -
Hoo Chan P.,
Fishman R. A.,
Schmidley J. W.,
Chen S. F.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/jnr.490120408
Subject(s) - arachidonic acid , chemistry , radical , polyunsaturated fatty acid , phospholipid , biochemistry , phospholipase a2 , xanthine oxidase , hypoxanthine , fatty acid , lipoxygenase , phospholipase , mitochondrion , membrane , chromatography , enzyme
We studied the effects of oxygen‐derived free radicals on the ultrastructure of brain cortical slices and the release of fatty acids from phospholipids of crude synaptosomes. Xanthine oxidase, hypoxanthine, and ADP‐Fe 3+ , a free‐radical‐generating system, caused swelling of cellular processes and mitochondria. The oxygen‐derived free radicals also caused the rapid release and accumulation of endogenous polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) from membrane phospholipids as determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Furthermore, [ 3 H]‐arachidonic acid was also rapidly released from prelabeled phospholipids concomitant with a decrease in radioactivity in various phospholipid fractions. The radioactivities of neutral lipids including diacylglycerols were unchanged by free radicals. These data indicate that the activation of phospholipase A 2 and the release of PUFA may have overt effect on membrane integrity and the subsequent development of cellular injury and brain edema.