Affinity of antioxidative polyphenols for lipid bilayers evaluated with a liposome system.

We developed a method to measure the amounts of antioxidative polyphenols and ubiquinones incorporated into the liquid bilayers of liposomes to estimate their affinities for cell membranes. Results were expressed in terms of an "affinity factor", calculated by division of the amount of compound incorporated by the amount added to the liposomal solution. The results reflected dose-dependence of the biological activities of the compound found in earlier in vitro experiments with mammalian and bacterial cells.