Structured phospholipids were prepared by the lipase-catalyzed transacylation of soy-phospholipids with monoacylglycerol (MG) of different fatty acids under the non-aqueous system.
The various phsopholipids comprised saturated fatty acids with carbon number of 4-18, and oleic, linoleic, linolenic, icosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids could be obtained with high yields by transacylation used with MG of corresponding fatty acids.
The repeating reaction process is available to raise the transacylation ratio, since the non-aqueous transacylation is not accompanied by the hydrolysis as a side reaction catalyzed by lipase.

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Biocatalytic approaches were rational ways to prepare and modify highly unsaturated phospholipids (HUFA-PL). The prepared HUFA-PL showed an antitumor effect in vivo, a promotional effect on cell differentiation, and an increase in deformability of erythrocytes in Vitro.

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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.

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