title: Decreased membrane fluidity and altered susceptibility to peroxidation and lipid composition in overweight and obese female erythrocytes.
abstract: The increased generation of reactive oxygen species that occurs in the condition of obesity may be responsible for oxidative injury to erythrocyte membranes, which could lead to a decrease in tissue oxygenation. Therefore, we have looked into the effects of obesity on both indexes of oxidative damage and physical-chemical properties of erythrocyte membranes in 50 overweight or obese [25 < body mass index (BMI) < 33], normotensive, nondiabetic women and 50 age-matched lean healthy women (BMI < 25). In the obese group compared with the lean group, we found that a) the onset of free radical-induced erythrocyte hemolysis and the ratio between reduced and oxidized glutathione were reduced, whereas the rate of free radical-induced damage increased; b) the n-3 fatty acid and the phospholipid contents decreased; c) the ratio between cholesterol and phospholipids increased; and d) the membrane fluidity decreased. These findings suggest an impairment of erythrocyte membrane physical-chemical properties in overweight and obese people as a consequence of oxidative injury that might be part of a pathogenetic mechanism responsible for obesity-related pathologies such as atherosclerosis and hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preclinical Sciences LITA Vialba, University of Milan via G. B. Grassi 74, 20157 Milan, Italy. roberta.cazzola@unimi.it
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cazzola
authors.forename: Mariangela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rondanelli
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Russo-Volpe
authors.forename: Ettore
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Benvenuto
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cestaro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005609:Free Radicals; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D006461:Hemolysis; D006801:Humans; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000145:classification; D008560:Membrane Fluidity; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018384:Oxidative Stress
chemical_list: D005609:Free Radicals; D008055:Lipids; D005978:Glutathione