Inequivalence of Fluorescent Choline and Ethanolamine Phospholipids in the Erythrocyte Membrane: Fluorescence Lifetime Determination in the Frequency and Time Domain

The fluorescence decay of 1-palmitoyl-2-diphenyl-hexatrienyl-propionyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and the respective ethanolamine derivative were determined in human erythrocyte ghost membranes by phase and modulation fluorometry. The obtained bimodal distribution decay model could independently be confirmed by pulse fluorometry and data analysis by the exponential series method. Distributional widths of labeled choline and ethanolamine phospholipids were different in ghost membranes but identical in phospholipid vesicles. Thus, it is concluded that both lipid classes containing the same fluorophore experience environments of different heterogeneity in the biological system.