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Updated: Feb 10, 2026

Quantitative and Qualitative Method for Sphingomyelin by LC-MS Using Two Stable Isotopically Labeled Sphingomyelin Species
Published on: May 7, 2018
Sphingomyelin ability to act as chiral selector using nanodisc electrokinetic chromatography
William M Penny1, Christopher P Palmer1
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59803, United States.
Abstract:
Understanding how stereochemistry affects interactions with cell membranes is important for effective drug development. Chirality has been shown to greatly effect pharmaceutical distribution and metabolism within the cell. However it has been thought that interactions with, and passive diffusion through, the membrane are not stereochemically selective. Various studies have produced conflicting results regarding whether interactions with lipid bilayers are or can be stereoselective. In the current work, stereoselective interactions between a pair of atropisomers, R-(+)/(S)-(-) 1,1'-Bi-2-naphthol, and sphingomyelin nanodisc bilayers, are demonstrated. This is accomplished using nanodisc electrokinetic chromatography, demonstrating that this approach is sensitive to subtle differences in affinity between small molecule probes and lipid bilayers. Using the same approach, no evidence of stereoselectivity was observed using enantiomer or diastereomer probes of varied chemistry and structure.
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