A new chemical procedure for the preparation of gangliosides carrying fluorescent or paramagnetic probes on the lipid moiety.

A new chemical procedure is described for preparing labelled GM1 molecular species, carrying as acyl moiety pyrene-decanoic acid, 5-doxyl-stearic acid and 16-doxyl-stearic acid. It makes use of a mixed anhydride formed by ethylchloroformate and the labelled acyl chain, as the reagent for N-acylation of a deacetylated, deacylated GM1 ganglioside, which is prepared by alkaline hydrolysis of natural GM1. The reaction performed with a unitary GM1 derivative/mixed anhydride molar ratio, occurs with a yield of above 40%. The labelled deacetylated GM1 molecular species are then N-acetylated by means of acetic anhydride with quantitative yield. The chemical process of insertion of labelled fatty acid and reconstitution of GM1 ganglioside has been confirmed by GLC-MS and NMR analyses. Fluorescence and electron spin resonance experiments indicate that the labelled gangliosides behave similarly to natural GM1, in both the aggregation properties and the capability to be transferred from micelles to vesicular dispersions of phospholipids.