ISSN 2736-1756
Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research Vol. 2017
Available online at http://internationalscholarsjournals.org/journal/ajmr
© 2017 International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Structural changes of DHA- containing phospholipids by K+ and Na+ cations in nerve cell membranes
N.Khodayari, F.Mollaamin , M. Monajjemi
1Ph.D Student, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2Department of Chemistry, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
3Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute for Theoretical Chemistry, Visitor Researcher, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
Accepted 19 May, 2016
Abstract
Understanding the structure and dynamics of a docosa hexaenoic acid (DHA) containing phospholipid monomer within membranes is essential for recognizing the bilayer function in central nervous system. It has been recognized that the electrical impulses in nerve cells arise from the movement of electrical charges in the form of ions across the plasma membrane. In this study, we have modeled a novel DHA-containing phosphatidylcholine (PC) found in a marine single cell eukaryote, “Schizochytrium sp F26-b” and we were focused on understanding the physico-chemical nature of K+ and Na+ movement toward DHA-containing phospholipid through its structural changes. To know more about the temperature dependence of the structural stability of 1-pentadecanoyl-2-docosahexaenoyl-sn–glycerol-3-phosphocholin frequently calculations have been carried out at different biological temperatures and the plotted graphs of energy values at all employed temperatures have been analyzed. Our findings confirmed the usefulness of Quantum chemical calculations for determination of dynamics of a phospholipid and prediction of their biological activity in bio-membranes.
Key words: Docosahexaenoic acid-containing phospholipid, nerve cell membranes, K+ and Na+, Ab initio.