Deuterated Plasmalogens: A New Class of Labelled Lipids from the NDF

Published by NDF staff, 26th August 2025

The National Deuteration Facility has recently developed a successful synthetic route to access deuterium labelled plasmalogens.

Plasmalogens are abundant lipids found in many domains of life and in numerous human tissue types.¹ In particular, plasmalogens are highly abundant in heart and brain tissues, making up a large proportion of total phospholipids present in these tissues.² Despite this, the specific roles of plasmalogens in the body are not well understood. It has been shown that they play a protective role against reactive oxygen species, and hence having low levels of these lipids has been associated with numerous diseases.³ 

Plasmalogens are a class of glycerophospholipids characterised by a cis-vinyl-ether at the sn-1 position of the glycerol backbone. Key to the success of a synthesis of plasmalogens is selective formation of the cis-vinyl-ether, and careful retention of the fragile functional group throughout the remainder of the synthetic steps. Optimisation of each step of the lengthy synthesis led by Dr Michael Moir of the NDF resulted in ample material to facilitate proposed research relating to this important class of lipid. 

The development of deuterium-labelled plasmalogens provides researchers with a valuable tool for investigating lipid biology across various analytical platforms, including mass spectrometry, neutron scattering, and NMR. These labelled compounds support deeper insights into the structure, function, and physiological role of plasmalogens, advancing our understanding of their significance in human health and disease.

References:

[1] Nagan, N.; Zoeller, R. A. Prog Lipid Res.2001, 40(3), 199–229.

[2] Gorgas, K.; Teigler, A.; Komljenovic, D.; Just, W. W.  BBA Mol. Cell Res. 2006, 1763(12), 1511–1526.

[3] Braverman, N. E.; Moser, A. B. BBA Mol. Basis Dis. 2012, 1822(9), 1442–1452.