Kinetics of lecithin oxidation in liposomal aqueous solutions

The peculiarities of egg phosphatidylcholine (lecithin) oxidation with molecular oxygen in aqueous media are investigated. Under the action of ultrasound, lecithin forms multilamellar liposomes or vesicles in aqueous solutions. Lecithin is oxidized through a chain free-radical mechanism. The nonlinear dependence of the rate of oxygen absorption on the substrate concentration and the imitation of the linear termination of the oxidation chain are observed. The study of the inhibited oxidation of phosphatidylcholine suggests that catecholamines, such as dopamine, noradrenalin, and adrenalin, are markedly more efficient antioxidants than quercetin and alpha-tocopherol. Phosphate buffer solution is shown to strongly influence the ways of adrenalin transformation in reactions with peroxyl radicals.