Cholesterol interacts with lactosyl and maltosyl cerebrosides but not with glucosyl or galactosyl cerebrosides in mixed monolayers.

Pure and mixed monolayers of mono- and dihexoside cerebrosides with cholesterol have been characterized at the air/water interface. Cholesterol oxidase was used as a reporter enzyme for the cholesterol-cerebroside interaction in the mixed monolayers. The cerebrosides either were derived from bovine brain extracts or were synthetic. The dihexoside cerebrosides were synthesized by coupling of the hepta-O-acetyl-alpha-lactosyl- or maltosylphosphoramidates with D-erythro-N-acylceramides in dichloromethane, in the presence of trimethylsilyl triflate and molecular sieves, followed by hydrolysis of the acetate-protecting groups. All of the bovine-brain-derived cerebrosides [galactosyl cerebroside (GalCer, types I and II), glucosyl cerebroside (GlcCer), and lactosyl cerebroside (LacCer)] had very condensed force-area isotherms (compressibility values of 3-5 x 10(-3) m/mN at 20 mN/m), as did the synthetic N-stearoylmaltosylceramide (N-18:0 MaltCer). Shorter-chain synthetic cerebrosides (N-8:0 LacCer and N-8:0 MaltCer) had more expanded isotherms, with compressibility values of 15-17 x 10(-3) m/mN. When cholesterol was included in mixed monolayers of monohexoside cerebroside, it did not induce significant condensation of packing (indicating that cholesterol did not increase the order of the acyl chains). However, with dihexoside cerebrosides, a cholesterol-induced condensing effect was observed, which amounted to a 11-19% reduction in the observed mean molecular area. When cholesterol oxidase was used to titrate the stoichiometry of cholesterol/cerebroside in mixed monolayers, at which pure cholesterol clusters appeared, it was observed that in monohexoside cerebroside monolayers cholesterol clusters were present even below a 1:1 molar stoichiometry.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)