Acetaldehyde adducts of phospholipids.

Incubation of rat liver microsomes with acetaldehyde followed by reduction with borohydride of the Schiff bases formed leads to the formation of the N-ethyl derivatives of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine. Proof for this structure came from a comparison of these microsomal derivatives, and the nitrogenous bases derived therefrom by acid hydrolyses, with synthetic N-ethylphosphatidylethanolamine, N-ethylphosphatidylserine, N-ethylethanolamine, and N-ethylserine. Modification of membrane phospholipids by covalent binding of acetaldehyde to form Schiff bases may perturb some of the biochemical processes associated with membranes.