Abstract
Plasmalogens are glycerophospholipids which are very easy to oxidize, due to the high reactivity to reactive oxygen species of their vinyl ether double bonds. Nevertheless, recent studies on plasmalogen-deficient mutant cells lead to the proposal that these ether lipids serve to protect cells from oxidative stress as endogenous antioxidants. In Vitromodel systems also support the assertion that plasmalogens exert the antioxidative function via scavenging radicals at vinyl ether linkage. In pathologic conditions associated with oxidative stress such as arteriosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, Alzheimer's disease, myocardial ischemia and Down syndrome as well as aging, a decrease in plasmalogens in tissues and blood and an accumulation of plasmalogen oxidation products have been observed. Plasmalogens may be functioning as physiologically important endogenous antioxidants in Vitro.
