ABSTRACT
Phospholipids constitute the main structural and functional building blocks of cellular membranes that include both plasma membrane and subcellular organelle membranes. Unsaturated fatty acids (mainly the polyunsaturated species, PUFA), both non-esterified (free) and esterified, are crucial for cellular structure and function and undergo non-enzymatic and enzymatic peroxidation and oxidative modification upon catalysis by reactive radicals and oxygenases in oxygen-rich and transition metal-present cellular environments. These peroxidized and oxidatively modified PUFAs in the cellular membranes cause perturbations in cells under stress and disease. Pulmonary (respiratory tract and lung tissue) cells are no exception to this as they are constantly exposed to oxygen, microbial infections, toxic agents, and chemicals and encounter myriad disorders and diseases. Hence, suitable methods of analysis of peroxidative modification of lung cellular membrane lipids are highly essential to establish the mechanisms and determine the biomarkers of lipoperoxidative injury responsible for the pulmonary and lung disorders and diseases. This chapter provides a comprehensive discussion on the pathway(s) of PUFA peroxidation, suitable methods of analysis of the peroxidatively modified lipids, and application of those methods to determine the extent of oxidative modification of lipids in respiratory tract and lung tissue cellular membranes during stress, disorders, and diseases.
