Changes in Membrane Organization upon Spontaneous Insertion of 2‑Hydroxylated Unsaturated Fatty Acids in the Lipid Bilayer

Recent research regarding 2-hydroxylated fatty acids (2OHFAs) showed clear evidence of their benefits in the treatment of cancer, inflammation, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Monolayer compressibility isotherms and isothermal titration calorimetry of 2OHFA (C18–C22) in phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylethanolamine/sphingomyelin/cholesterol (1:1:1:1 mole ratio), a mixture that mimics the composition of mammalian plasma membrane, were performed to assess the membrane binding capacity of 2OHFAs and their natural, nonhydroxylated counterparts. The results show that 2OHFAs are surface-active substances that bind membranes through exothermic, spontaneous processes. The main effects of 2OHFAs are a decrease in lipid order, with a looser packing of the acyl chains, and a decreased dipole potential, regardless of the 2OHFAs’ relative affinity for the lipid bilayer. The strongest effects are usually observed for 2-hydroxyarachidonic (C20:4) acid, and the weakest one, for 2-hydroxydocosahexaenoic acid (C22:6). In addition, 2OHFAs cause increased hydration, except in gel-phase membranes, which can be explained by the 2OHFA preference for membrane defects. Concerning the membrane dipole potential, the magnitude of the reduction induced by 2OHFAs was particularly marked in the liquid-ordered (lo) phase (cholesterol/sphingomyelin-rich) membranes, those where order reduction was the smallest, suggesting a disruption of cholesterol–sphingolipid interactions that are responsible for the large dipole potential in those membranes. Moreover, 2OHFA effects were larger than for both lo and ld phases separately in model membranes with liquid disordered (ld)/lo coexistence when both phases were present in significant amounts, possibly because of the facilitating effect of ld/lo domain interfaces. The specific and marked changes induced by 2OHFAs in several membrane properties suggest that the initial interaction with the membrane and subsequent reorganization might constitute an important step in their mechanisms of action