Lipids are a class of compounds comprising fats, fatty acids, steroids and fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K), all of which are essential for life. Lipids are highly suceptible to radical-mediated oxidation, a chain reaction greatly enabled by the close packing of lipids in cell membranes and lipoproteins. This process can compromise the cell membrane, or lead to electrophilic products (e.g. carbonyls) that are highly toxic to the cell, and has been linked to virtually every degenerative disease, from cardiovascular to neurodegnerative disease, as well as cancer and aging. In our group, we work to understand the chemical mechanisms of lipid oxidation reactions, elucidate the identity of the products that are formed in these reactions, and translate this knowledge to understand the potential role of these compounds in the pathogenesis of degenerative disease.

 

Two projects ongoing in our laboratories:

 

The origin of cholesterol-derived electrophiles: ozone, singlet oxygen or triplet oxygen?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro-fluorescent indicators of lipid-derived electrophiles