title: Tocopherol activity correlates with its location in a membrane: a new perspective on the antioxidant vitamin E.
abstract: We show evidence of an antioxidant mechanism for vitamin E which correlates strongly with its physical location in a model lipid bilayer. These data address the overlooked problem of the physical distance between the vitamin's reducing hydrogen and lipid acyl chain radicals. Our combined data from neutron diffraction, NMR, and UV spectroscopy experiments all suggest that reduction of reactive oxygen species and lipid radicals occurs specifically at the membrane's hydrophobic-hydrophilic interface. The latter is possible when the acyl chain "snorkels" to the interface from the hydrocarbon matrix. Moreover, not all model lipids are equal in this regard, as indicated by the small differences in vitamin's location. The present result is a clear example of the importance of lipid diversity in controlling the dynamic structural properties of biological membranes. Importantly, our results suggest that measurements of aToc oxidation kinetics, and its products, should be revisited by taking into consideration the physical properties of the membrane in which the vitamin resides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario L2S 3A1, Canada.
authors.forename: Drew
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marquardt
authors.forename: Justin A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kučerka
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Wassall
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Katsaras
authors.forename: Thad A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Harroun
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry*; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D007700:Kinetics; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry*; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000737:chemistry*; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D014810:Vitamin E; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol