Differential effects of cholesterol on acyl chain order in erythrocyte membranes as a function of depth from the surface. An electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin label study Original Research Article

The purpose of this work is to analyze the effects of cholesterol modulation on acyl chain ordering in the membrane of human erythrocytes as a function of depth from the surface. Partial cholesterol depletion was achieved by incubation of erythrocytes with liposomes containing saturated phospholipids, or with methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD). Cholesterol enrichment was achieved by incubation with liposomes formed by phospholipids/cholesterol, or with the complex MβCD/cholesterol. Acyl chain order was studied with electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) using spin labels that sense the lipid bilayer at different depths. It is shown that the increase in cholesterol stiffens acyl chains but decreases the interaction among lipid headgroups, while cholesterol depletion causes the opposite behavior. It is likely that the observed cholesterol effects are related to those stabilizing the cholesterol-rich detergent-insoluble membrane domains (rafts), recently shown to exist in erythrocytes.