Raman studies of structural rearrangements induced in human plasma lipoprotein carotenoids by malondialdehyde.

Raman and resonance Raman spectra of plasma lipoproteins +/- malondialdehyde were studied at concentrations which block the normal receptor-mediated uptake by cells. The strong resonance Raman bands at about 1010, 1162 and 1530 cm-1, due to the presence of carotenoids in the lipoproteins, are envisaged as structural probes. High resolution resonance Raman spectra of the 1500-1600 cm-1 region reveal multiple features suggesting the coexistence of several structural populations of beta-carotene whose precise assignment is complex. When plasma lipoproteins are reacted with malondialdehyde, a complex change occurs in the resonance Raman banding of beta-carotene in the 1500-1600 cm-1 region. Malonaldehyde (MDA) also modifies the acoustical region (70-200 cm-1 of low density lipoprotein (LDL) lipids. We suggest that malondialdehyde association with plasma lipoproteins alters the lipid structure via apoprotein or apoprotein/lipid associations.