PHASES AND PHASE-TRANSITIONS OF THE PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINES

LIPIDAT (http://www.lipidat.chemistry.ohio-state.edu) is an Internet a ccessible, computerized relational database providing access to the we alth of information scattered throughout the literature concerning syn thetic and biologically derived polar lipid polymorphic and mesomorphi c phase behavior and molecular structures. Here, a review of the data subset referring to phosphatidylcholines is presented together with an analysis of these data. This subset represents ca. 60% of all LIPIDAT records. It includes data collected over a 43-year period and consist s of 12,208 records obtained from 1573 articles in 106 different journ als. An analysis of the data in the subset identifies trends in phosph atidylcholine phase behavior reflecting changes in lipid chain length, unsaturation (number, isomeric type and position of double bonds), as ymmetry and branching, type of chain-glycerol linkage (ester, ether, a mide), position of chain attachment to the glycerol backbone (1,2- vs. 1,3-) and head group modification. Also included is a summary of the data concerning the effect of pressure, pH, stereochemical purity, and different additives such as salts, saccharides, amino acids and alcoh ols, on phosphatidylcholine phase behavior. Information on the phase b ehavior of biologically derived phosphatidylcholines is also presented . This review includes 651 references. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.