A spin label study of lipid oxidation catalyzed by heme proteins

Rapid loss of the electron spin resonance signal from a variety of spin labels is observed when ferricytochrome c or metmyoglobin are combined with lipids. Evidence is presented that this loss of signal can be used as a sensitive method to study lipid oxidation catalyzed by heme proteins. Under aerobic conditions and with lipids which bind the heme protein, the kinetics of the oxidation process as observed by the spin label method are identical to the kinetics previously observed by measurements of oxygen uptake. Use of pre-oxidized lipids under anaerobic conditions indicates that cytochrome c reacts with a product of lipid oxidation. Kinetic studies of the anaerobic reaction indicate that cytochrome c reacts rapidly with lipid oxidation products in membrane areas far larger than the area occupied by cytochrome c, implying rapid transport of reactive species within the membrane interior in directions parallel to the membrane surface. Under anaerobic conditions, reaction of cytochrome c with lipid oxidation products appears to produce a relatively long lived (hours) species located in the hydrophobic portion of the membrane, which is capable of subsequent reaction with lipid-soluble spin labels.