iBB

Lipid hydroperoxides have recently been recognized as key mediators of diseases (such as neurodegenerative disorders or Type II diabetes) and cell death. In a recent work, structural and dynamic perturbations induced by the hydroperoxidized POPC lipid (POPC-OOH) in fluid POPC membranes were addressed using advanced small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and fluorescence methodologies. Notably, this multidisciplinary approach revealed that the hydroperoxide group located at the membrane interface, promotes a higher membrane hydration and microviscosity, with a strikingly lower order and bending rigidity, an unusual trend in membrane biophysics, which ultimately compromises membrane structure organization. This international work co-led by Ana M. Melo (BSIRG-iBB) and Rosangela Itri (Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo) was recently published in Langmuir and involved other BSIRG-iBB researchers (Ana Coutinho, Alexander Fedorov and Manuel Prieto).