Synthetic phospholipid analogs: a structural investigation with scattering methods.

The phase behavior of the newly synthesized phospholipid analogs is necessary to be known because of the importance of the structure of the phospholipid analogs for the activity against tumor cell lines. The type of aggregates formed under defined conditions, the size distribution and the internal structure of the particles as well as stability upon storage are examined by scattering methods. Octadecyl-methyl-glycero-phosphocholine (OMGPC) and Octadecyl-imidazoyl-deoxy-glycero-phosphocholine (OIDGPC) are cytostatic systems designed synthetically for the medical application and, therefore, prepared and measured usually at 37 degrees C. Both phospholipid analogs behave under the same conditions almost similarly. They show also the similar behavior in long term studies like the biological ganglioside GM1. Under physiological conditions, OMGPC and OIDGPC form spherical micelles with a maximum dimension of about 8 nm, which do not change with concentration.