title: Nonenzymatic synthesis of glycerolipids catalyzed by imidazole.
abstract: Imidazole catalyzed acylations of lysolipids by acyl-CoAs in water at room temperature and at a pH close to neutrality. In the presence of oleoyl-CoA and either lysophosphatidylcholine, 1-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (LPC); lysophosphatidylglycerol, monoacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol; lysophosphatidyl acid, 1-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphate; lysophosphatidylserine, monoacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoserin; or lysophosphatidylethanolamine, monoacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine, the corresponding phospholipids were synthesized. Similarly, the use of lyso-platelet activating factor, an ether analog of LPC, yielded the formation of 1-O-alkyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. In the presence of LPC, an imidazole-catalyzed synthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) occurred when medium, long, and very long chain acyl-CoAs were added. With hydroxyacyl-CoA, a similar PC synthesis was obtained. The process described in the present paper appears to offer several potential applications of interest for the synthesis of glycerophospholipids and triglycerides with labeled and/or an unusual or fragile fatty acid, or when suitable acyltransferases have not yet been described in the literature and/or are not commercially available. The method described is very safe and simple since lipids can be synthesized in tubes containing 0.7% imidazole in water, and left for a few hours at room temperature on the bench.
authors.affiliation: UMR 5544/ESTBB, CNRS-Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, 146 rue Léo Saignat, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex, France. eric.testet@estbb.u-bordeaux2.fr
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Testet
authors.forename: Malika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akermoun
authors.forename: Miyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimoji
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cassagne
authors.forename: Jean-Jacques
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Bessoule
mesh_terms: D000215:Acylation; D002384:Catalysis; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D020404:Glycerophospholipids / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D020404:Glycerophospholipids; D007093:Imidazoles; C029899:imidazole