Interaction between ferric ions, phospholipid hydroperoxides, and the lipid phosphate moiety at physiological pH

Iron-catalyzed lipid peroxidation was examined using 1H NMR in a biphasic aqueous-chloroform system. At physiological pH (7.4), mole ratios of phospholipids/Fe3+ as low as 1300:1 catalyzed the rapid disappearance of endogenous lipid hydroperoxides with a loss of two of the four double bonds in PC containing palmitic (16:0) and arachidonic (20:4) acids in the sn-1 and sn-2 positions, respectively. The predominant phospholipid products after 1 h at 20 degrees C were a 9-carbon mono-unsaturated carbonyl and a phospholipid with an 11-carbon delta5,8 FA in the sn-2 position. PC with linoleic acid (18:2) in the sn-2 position lost one double bond and formed a phospholipid with a 9-carbon FA. Cardiolipin (linoleic acid-rich) also lost about 40% of its double bonds. No detectable loss was seen for PC containing oleic acid (18:1) or neutral lipids with PUFA. At arachidonyl PC/Fe3+ ratios less than 20:1, significant broadening of the choline methyl proton peak was evident, indicating that Fe3+ may form a complex with the adjacent phosphate group and that the complex involves both the phosphate and the hydroperoxide adjacent to the delta11 double bond. The results demonstrate that, at physiological pH, Fe3+-catalyzed peroxidation in polyunsaturated phospholipids occurs selectively adjacent to specific double bonds (delta9 or delta11). These PC-derived products have been shown to activate components of the inflammatory system. This suggests that the episodic release of ferric ions may play a significant role in generating inflammatory mediators.