The initial steps in the autoxidation of CLA methyl ester are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to determine the stereochemistry of the hydroperoxides formed during autoxidation of CLA methyl ester in the presence of a good hydrogen atom donor. For this purpose, 9-cis,11-trans CLA methyl ester was autoxidized in the presence of alpha-tocopherol under atmospheric oxygen at 40 degrees C in the dark. The CLA methyl ester hydroperoxides were isolated, reduced to the corresponding hydroxy derivatives, and separated by HPLC. The stereochemistry of seven hydroxy-CLA methyl esters was investigated. The position of the hydroxy group was determined by GC-MS. The geometry as well as the position of the double bonds in the alkyl chain was determined by NMR. In addition, the 13C NMR spectra of six hydroxy-CLA methyl esters were assigned using COSY, gradient heteronuclear multiple bond correlation, gradient heteronuclear single quantum correlation, and total correlation spectroscopy experiments. The autoxidation of 9-cis,11-trans CLA methyl ester in the presence of a good hydrogen atom donor is stereoselective in favor of one geometric isomer, namely the 13-(R,S)-hydroperoxy-9-cis,11-trans-octadecadienoic acid methyl ester. Three types of conjugated diene hydroperoxides are formed as primary hydroperoxides: trans,trans hydroperoxides (12-OOH-8t,10t and 9-OOH-10t,12t), a cis,trans hydroperoxide with the trans double bond adjacent to the hydroperoxide-bearing carbon atom (13-OOH-9c,11t), and a new type of cis,trans lipid hydroperoxide with the cis double bond adjacent to the hydroperoxide-bearing carbon atom (8-OOH-9c,11t). In addition, three nonkinetic hydroperoxides (13-OOH-9t,11t, 8-OOH-9t,11t, and 9-OOH-10t,12c) are formed. This study supports the theory that CLA methyl ester autoxidizes at least partly through an autocatalytic free radical reaction. The complexity of the hydroperoxide mixture is due to formation of two different pentadienyl radicals. Moreover, the stereoselectivity in favor of one geometric isomer can be explained by the selectivity of the two previous steps: the preferential formation of a W-conformer of the pentadienyl radical over the Z-conformer, and regioselectivity of the oxygen addition to the pentadienyl radical.

The lipopeptide tripalmitoyl-S-glycerylcysteine (Pam3Cys) is derived from the N-terminal part of bacterial lipopeptides and is a polyclonal B-lymphocyte and macrophage activator. Derivatives of Pam3Cys constitute highly potent, nontoxic immunoadjuvants, and lipopeptide−antigen conjugates have found important applications as novel fully synthetic low-molecular-weight vaccines. To establish a possible correlation between molecular structure, aggregation properties, and biological activities, we have studied the self-assembly and monolayer properties of a range of Pam3Cys derivatives using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and a Langmuir-film balance combined with a Brewster angle microscopy (BAM). It was found that the chirality of the glyceryl moiety and the additional serine unit impacted on the mode of aggregation and the monolayer properties. Correlations are discussed between these physicochemical properties and biological activities.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether hydroperoxides are formed in the autoxidation of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) methyl ester both in the presence and absence of α-tocopherol. The existence of hydroperoxide protons was confirmed by D 2 O exchange and by chemoselective reduction of the hydroperoxide groups into hydroxyl groups using NaBH 4 . These experiments were followed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The 13 C and 1 H NMR spectra of a mixture of 9-hydroperoxy-10-trans,12-cis-octadecadienoic acid methyl ester (9-OOH) and 13-hydroperoxy-9-cis,11-trans-octadecadienoic acid methyl ester (13-OOH), which are formed during the autoxidation of methyl linoleate, were studied in detail to allow the comparison between the two linoleate hydroperoxides and the CLA methyl ester hydroperoxides. The 13 C NMR spectra of samples enriched with one of the two linoleate hydroperoxide isomers were assigned using 2D NMR techniques, namely Correlated Spectroscopy (COSY), gradient Heteronuclear Multiple Bond Correlation (gHMBC), and gradient Heteronuclear Single Quantum Correlation (gHSQC). The 13 C and 1 H NMR experiments performed in this study show that hydroperoxides are formed during the autoxidation of CLA methyl ester both in the presence and absence of α-tocopherol and that the major isomers of CLA methyl ester hydroperoxides have a conjugated monohydroperoxydiene structure similar to that in linoleate hydroperoxides.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether hydroperoxides are formed in the autoxidation of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) methyl ester both in the presence and absence of α-tocopherol. The existence of hydroperoxide protons was confirmed by D 2 O exchange and by chemoselective reduction of the hydroperoxide groups into hydroxyl groups using NaBH 4 . These experiments were followed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The 13 C and 1 H NMR spectra of a mixture of 9-hydroperoxy-10-trans,12-cis-octadecadienoic acid methyl ester (9-OOH) and 13-hydroperoxy-9-cis,11-trans-octadecadienoic acid methyl ester (13-OOH), which are formed during the autoxidation of methyl linoleate, were studied in detail to allow the comparison between the two linoleate hydroperoxides and the CLA methyl ester hydroperoxides. The 13 C NMR spectra of samples enriched with one of the two linoleate hydroperoxide isomers were assigned using 2D NMR techniques, namely Correlated Spectroscopy (COSY), gradient Heteronuclear Multiple Bond Correlation (gHMBC), and gradient Heteronuclear Single Quantum Correlation (gHSQC). The 13 C and 1 H NMR experiments performed in this study show that hydroperoxides are formed during the autoxidation of CLA methyl ester both in the presence and absence of α-tocopherol and that the major isomers of CLA methyl ester hydroperoxides have a conjugated monohydroperoxydiene structure similar to that in linoleate hydroperoxides.