Synthetic phospholipid analogs: a structural investigation with scatteringmethods

The phase behavior of the newly synthesized phospholipid analogs is necessa ry to be known because of the importance of the structure of the phospholip id analogs for the activity against tumor cell lines. The type of aggregate s formed under defined conditions, the size distribution and the internal s tructure of the particles as well as stability upon storage are examined by scattering methods. Octadecyl-methyl-glycero-phosphocholine (OMGPC) and Oc tadecyl-imidazoyl-deoxy-glycero-phosphocholine (OIDGPC) are cytostatic syst ems designed synthetically for the medical application and, therefore, prep ared and measured usually at 37 degreesC. Both phospholipid analogs behave under the same conditions almost similarly. They show also the similar beha vior in long term studies like the biological ganglioside GM1. Under physio logical conditions, OMGPC and OIDGPC form spherical micelles with a maximum dimension of about 8 nm, which do not change with concentration. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.