STRUCTURAL-CHANGES OF LIPOPROTEIN LIPIDS BY H-1-NMR

A new procedure for detecting structural changes of lipoprotein lipids is introduced and applied to study native low (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) particles. The method involves lineshape fitting analyses of specific resonances in proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra together with numerical derivation of the obtained intensity curves with respect to temperature. In addition to the well-known phase transition of the LDL core cholesterol esters, a novel structural change was revealed in the phospholipid monolayer of both native LDL and HDL particles. The attributes of this phenomenon are discussed.