Evidence of biomembrane lipid glycation

Although Maillard reaction (glycation) between protein and glucose has been thoroughly investigated, we have found that it. is possible for glycation to occur between lipid and glucose. Our finding hypothesizes that, under a hyperglycemic condition (i.e. diabetes), membrane phospholipid may be abnormally glycated in vivo, contributing to pathogenesis. In evaluating the hypothesis, we demonstrated that, glycated phospholipid caused oxidative stress (lipid peroxidation) and angiogenesis, and developed a preparation method of pure glycated phospholipid as well as its highly sensitive assay. In this paper, we introduce our analysis technique of glycated phospholipid, give evidence of the occurrence of lipid glycation in a biomembrane, and discuss the relation of lipid glycation to lipid peroxidation and cell functional disorder.