The partition of cis-parinaric acid and trans-parinaric acid among aqueous, fluid lipid, and solid lipid phases.

In this article, I review the current information concerning the partition of the fluorescent probes, cis-parinaric acid (9, 11, 13, 15-cis, trans, trans, cis-octadecatetraenoic acid) and trans-parinaric acid (9, 11, 13, 15-all trans-octadecatetraenoic acid) among aqueous, solid lipid, and fluid lipid phases. The association of these probes with lipid is described by a mole fraction partition coefficient whose value is trypically in the range of 1-5 x 10(6), a reasonable value in light of partition coefficients for other fatty acids between hydrophobic phases and water. The partition coefficient, in the absence of lipid phase changes, is relatively independent of temperature and only slightly dependent on the total aqueous probe concentration. In lipid samples which contain coexisting fluid and solid phases, trans-parinaric acid preferentially partitions into the solid phase, while cis-parinaric acid distributes nearly equally between fluid and solid phases. This partition behavior probably arises from the molecular shape of the cis and trans parinaric acid in mixed lipid systems or membranes it is possible to evaluate the proportion of lipid components involved in phase changes or phase separation. From fluorescence energy transfer between protein typtophan residues and the parinaric acid isomers it is possible to gain information about the organization of lipids and proteins in membranes and model systems. I close the review by considering some of the membrane research areas where these probes and their various lipid derivatives may be particularly useful.