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Evidence That Free Fatty Acid-Iron Complexes Directly Initiate Lipid Peroxidation In Vitro And In Vivo: A New Mechanism Of Oxidative Stress, Steven C. Salaris, Charles F. Babbs, Joann Pham, John J. Turek

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Working Papers

Through a series of biochemical and histochemical experiments we explored the novel hypothesis that iron and free fatty acids, liberated after tissue injury, combine to form liposoluble complexes that directly initiate lipid peroxidation. The addition of 100 M ferric iron to 30 mM linoleate suspensions at pH 7.4 produced time dependent lipid peroxidation, measured as conjugated diene formation. Complexes of 100 M ferric iron and 600 M pentanoate also initiated formation of conjugated dienes in linoleate suspensions and formation of malondialdehyde-like materials in rat liver slices. A histochemical stain for free fatty acids revealed positive reactions within cell membranes in …