SYNTHESIS OF A NEW NEOGLYCOLIPID (AGH-1) AND ITS EFFECT UPON THE PROPERTIES OF DIPALMITOYLPHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE - CHOLESTEROL LIPOSOMES

A new neoglycolipid (AgH-1) bearing carbohydrate units that mimics the antigenic determinant of the O-blood group was synthesized and the ef fect of its incorporation in dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC):cho lesterol liposomes was evaluated. The results obtained show that AgH-1 is readily incorporated into DPPC:cholesterol liposomes. The conditio ns leading to the optimal incorporation are the result of a compromise between incorporation efficiency and incorporation extent. The presen ce of AgH-1 produces liposomes of smaller size, with only small change s in the properties of the bilayer. However, the data obtained employi ng diphenylhexatriene and laurodan as fluorescence probes and merocyan ine 540 as optical probe suggest that AgH-1 incorporation leads to a s mall rigidization of the liposomes at temperatures lower than ca. 42 d egrees C. (C) 1998 Academic Press.