PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF COPPER-OXIDIZED VERY-LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEINS

The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of Cu2+ catalyzed o xidation on VLDL physico-chemical properties and secondary structure o f apo B-100. Incubation of very low density lipoproteins,vith copper i ons resulted in a decrease in tryptophan and lysine residues parallel to lipid peroxidation products, conjugated dienes and TBARS. Fluoresce nce polarization showed an increase in the molecular order at the lipo protein surface of VLDL, as demonstrated by the increase in Pf values of DPH. The secondary structure of apo B-100 was investigated by infra red spectroscopy. Increased order and structural changes, as observed after oxidative stress on VLDL, could be of relevance in the abnormal interactions between lipoproteins and cell membranes.