Self-Organisation, Thermotropic and Lyotropic Properties of Glycolipids Related to their Biological Implications

1. INTRODUCTION

General speaking, glycolipids are lipids containing carbohydrate. According to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry and International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, glycolipids are defined as simple derivatives of lipids such as acylglycerols, ceramides, and prenols as well as glycosyl derivatives such as cerebrosides and gangliosides [1, 2]. Glycolipids belong to a larger family of compounds known as glycoconjugates or glycopolymers. The most important classes of glycoconjugates are glycoproteins, glycopeptides, peptidoglycans, proteoglycans, glycolipids and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) [1]. The latter are also denoted as endotoxins [3, 4]. The structures of glycolipids are often extremely complex. This complexity results from the huge variations in the coupled carbohydrate residues, the number and linkage, carbohydrate modifications (e.g. phosphorylation, sulphated), type (e.g. saturated, unsaturated, branched, unbranched hydrocarbon chains) and number of linked hydrocarbon chains (see Fig. 1). Also the chemical nature of the linker (e.g. ether, ester, amide) allows theformation of a large number of different glycolipid structures.

Thus, the term glycolipid designates any compound containing one or more monosaccharide residues bound by a glycosidic linkage to a hydrophobic moiety [1]. The term glycoglycerolipid has been defined as a glycolipid containing one or more glycerol residues.

A number of glycolipids form liquid-crystalline (LC) phases. The liquid-crystalline phase is a state of matter with properties known for a liquid and a solid crystal [5-7]. As an example, the flow property of a liquid-crystal can be similar to a classical liquid; however the orientation of the single molecules is crystal-like. Various types of liquid-crystalline phases are known. They can be identified and characterised using several physico-chemical techniques (see below). For instance, polarisation microscopy is used for the characterisation of liquid-crystalline phases, because the optical properties of the various liquid-crystalline phases are different. Thus, the liquid-crystalline phase is characterised under the polarisation microscope by a very specific and unique texture (see part III of this chapter).

The phases formed by liquid-crystallines are also denoted as a mesomorph state (mesophase). This state describes an organisational state with the molecular order being between the perfect, three-dimensional position as well as orientation ordering of a solid crystal on the one side, and the lack of long-range orientational order as found in isotropic liquids. The terms liquid-crystalline and mesomorph are often used synonymously.

In general, a liquid-crystalline compound is formed of a rigid moiety and one or more flexible molecule residue. The rigid part aligns the molecules in a specific direction, whereas the flexible parts induce fluidity into the liquid-crystal. The rigid part, i.e. the basic structural unit of a liquid-crystal inducing structural order into the crystals, is referred to as the mesogen unit [1, 5]. The ideal balance of these two parts is essential to form liquid-crystalline materials [8, 9].

Liquid-crystals are often divided into two main groups, namely thermotropes and, lyotropes, which form thermo-tropic, respective lyotropic phases. Thermotropic liquid-crystals exhibit a phase transition into the liquid-crystalline state as temperature is raised [7]. Lyotropic liquid-crystals exhibit phase transitions as a function of both temperature and concentration of the liquid-crystal molecules in a solvent, which is typically water for biological molecules.

The term amphiphile denotes molecules comprising a polar (hydrophilic) head-group (which may be ionic or non-ionic) attached to a hydrophobic moiety. Typical hydro-phobic groups are saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon chains. Examples of amphiphilic compounds are the salts of fatty acids, phospholipids or glycolipids. Many amphiphiles are used as detergents.

The driving force for the formation of a mesophase of amphiphile molecules is a micro-phase separation. This leads to an aggregate structure (Fig. 2 and Fig. 3) with separated regions for the lipophilic (hydrophobe) and hydrophilic (polar) moieties.

2. SELF-ASSEMBLY AND AGGREGATION PROPERTIES OF GLYCOLIPIDS

Similar to other amphiphilic molecules such as phospholipids, glycolipids tend to aggregate in aqueous dispersions due to the minimization of the Gibbs free energy [10, 11]. The concentration at which such aggregation takes place is called the critical micellar concentration (CMC), below this value the molecules are present as monomers [12]. A different terminus, critical aggregate concentration (CAC), is the concentration at which monomers spontaneously may form aggregates which, however, decompose again. Thus, the CAC always lies below the CMC.

Above the CMC, with increasing glycolipid concen-tration, the monomer concentration remains constant, or is even reduced in the case of negatively charged amphiphiles, and additional molecules are incorporated into the aggregated form [13]. Thus, above the CMC aggregate as well as monomers are present and in a state of equilibrium. An important characteristic is the type of aggregate structure formed above the CMC. It depends on the relative sizes and geometries of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic moiety; this was considered by Israelachvili who introduced a dimen-sionless shape or packing parameter S = v / ( a₀^.l_c) = a_h / a₀ (v = molecular volume of the hydrophobic moiety, l_c length of the fully extended hydrophobic moiety, a₀, a_h cross-sectional areas of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic moiety, respectively). This parameter is also known as CPP (critical packaging parameter) or IPF (Israelachvili packaging factor) [13].

If the value of S is known, the resulting aggregate structures can readily be deduced. For S < ½ micellar structures (not to mix with the term micelle as synonym for aggregate) are adopted, in particular cases the direct H_I phase is favoured. In each case, the acyl chain moiety is directed inwards, and the hydrophilic part outwards. Between S = ½ and 1, lamellar structures in the form of unilamellar or multilamellar structures are favoured. Whether a particular glycolipid adopts an uni- or multilamellar structure is a complex problem, which depends, among others, on geometrical constrains, on the charge distribution in the head group, the kind of counter ions, and the hydration properties of the glycolipid.

Above S = 1 inverted structures such as inverted hexagonal H_II or cubic structures of type II (so far not described by Israelachvili (1991) [13]) are formed; the acyl chains are directed outwards, and the hydrophilic moiety inwards, see Luzzati et al., [14, 15]. A critical region is the range around S = 1, where various phases may coexist and in which small extrinsic changes such as hydration, ion concentration or temperature change may lead to a phase transition. Since the packing parameters cannot be estimated with sufficient precision, physical techniques such as small-angle scattering with X-rays (SAXS) or neutrons (SANS) must be applied for a reliable determination of the structures [16]. An overview of the different possible aggregate structures is given in Fig. (2).

A second parameter of aggregated structures is of importance, namely the state of order or fluidity of the acyl chains. Basically, two states, the gel (β) and the liquid-crystalline (α) phase can be adopted, and between these a (pseudo) first-order transition can be observed. In the gel phase the acyl chains are ordered, being in the all-trans configuration, while the liquid-crystalline (fluid) phase is much less ordered (higher fluidity) due to the introduction of more and more gauche-conformers. This phase transition at a glycolipid-specific temperature T_m can take place within one and the same aggregate structure, but can also be connected with a change of the aggregate structure. It is known that not all aggregate structures can occur within both phases.

The H_II structure has only been observed in the liquid-crystalline state. In the gel phase the acyl chains are not flexible enough to adapt to the high curvature of the H_II structure [17-20].

It was assumed earlier that also cubic structures are restricted to the fluid phase [14]. This, however, could not be confirmed in the case of glycolipids from bacterial origin [21, 22].

The value of T_m is governed by various parameters: Length and the degree of saturation of the hydrocarbon chains moiety, the kind of interface region, and type of head group, as well as hydration properties and solution properties (e.g. pH, ionic strength, presence of divalent cations) [23]. Another important parameter is the degree of water binding. For glycolipids with head groups/interface regions of low hydrating capacity T_m is higher than for those with a well hydrated backbone. Therefore, the lyotropic behaviour is an essential parameter for a physico-chemical characterisation of glycolipids.

For an understanding of the physico-chemistry of the self-organisation of glycolipids the establishment of complete phase diagrams is necessary [24]. This means that the lyotropism – dependence on water content – and the thermotropism – dependence on temperature – has to be evaluated (Tables 1A and 1B). For charged lipids, which are frequently found in nature, also the dependence on the type of counter-ions such as Na⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺ is an important parameter [25, 26]. Such structural polymorphism–complete phase diagrams with temperature, water content, and cation concentration as parameters, has been published for the glycolipid lipid A and LPS Re from Salmonella minnesota [21, 22]. It was shown that these compounds have a clear dependence on water content in the aggregate structures as well as on the phase transition temperature T_m (see text and figures below).

As examples for the compositions of glycolipids, the chemical structures of dimyristoyl-maltoside DMMA (Fig. 3A) and a lipopolysaccharide from deep rough mutant R595 (LPS Re, Fig. 3B) are presented.

For the measurements of the CMC fluorescence spectroscopy or light scattering techniques have been applied in many cases [27]. The former is based on the fact that suitable dyes such as N-phenyl-naphtylamine (NPN) or anilino-naphtalene sulfonate (ANS) have a specific fluorescence at a fixed wavelength when incorporated into aggregates which shift or disappear upon disaggregation [28]. Using light scattering techniques, the concentration of the amphipiles are increased step wise and the formation of amphiphile aggregates at the CMC is observed by a strong increase in scattering intensity. A different method is the CMC determination by a monolayer technique. The successive addition of the amphiphilic molecules to the subphase leads to an increase of the monolayer pressure until attaining the CMC [10, 27].

The described methods are limited to CMC down to the micro-molar concentration range; therefore, for samples with CMC lying at lower concentrations such as in the case of many diacylated glycolipids, these techniques do not apply. For these, special approaches such as the use of radioactively labelled compounds have to be used. In the case of glyco-lipids with a sufficient number and length of acyl chains, similar as in the case of phospholipids, data on the CMC are very scarce, because only very limited and sophisticated methods may be successful. For example, for the glycolipid lipid IVa (a precursor of lipid A from enterobacterial strains with four C-14 acyl chains) a CMC of < 10^-7 M, obtained with Laser light scattering [29], was indicated.

Another study on rough and smooth LPS and hexaacyl lipid A, obtained with fluorescent dyes and light scattering, indicates a CMC in the micro-molar range (≈ µM) for all these samples, irrespective of the length of the sugar chain [30]. This value, however, corresponds to the sensitivity of the method and does not reflect the CMC, which, of course, must differ for the different compounds by orders of magnitude due to the variations in the sugar chains (having the same lipid moiety). Sasaki and White (2008) [31] have applied high energy dynamic laser light scattering of highly purified LPS Re and have found a drastic decrease of the ‘hydrodynamic radius’ of the aggregates in the range of some nanomolar. The authors, however, did not present the resolution limit of their technique, which might indicate that the true CMC is even much lower. Summarizing all information on the CMC of LPS, it can be assumed that the CMC for lipid A and LPS Re is in the range significantly below 10^-9 M similar as argued by Brandenburg and Wiese (2004) [32].

For the determination of glycolipid aggregate structures small-angle X-ray (SAXS) or neutron scattering (SANS) are the methods of choice. With the current brilliance of synchrotron radiation the SAXS experiment can be readily performed whereas neutron radiation with a sufficiently high intensity is less available. The diffraction patterns obtained in this way can be analysed with respect to the positions of the single peaks being characteristic for the single phases [27]. With regard to lyotropism, it could be shown for lipid A and various rough mutant LPS from S. minnesota, that these compounds show only a multilamellar structure at low (0 to 40 %) water content, which passes into a unilamellar or cubic structure at high water content ( > 60 %) [21, 22, 33]. Similarly, the aggregate structure changes upon heating, being unilamellar, mixed unilamellar/cubic in the gel phase of lipid A, convert into a hexagonal H_II phase at temperatures significantly above T_m (45 °C).

The biological importance of the phase states and the transitions between them at a particular temperature depends of course on the aggregates structures within the single phases. Thus, for example, the L ↔ Q transition is kinetically inhibited, and grows only slowly, while the L ↔ H transition takes place directly and rapidly. In this context also the reversibility must be seen, which takes place most readily for the latter, but in a delayed mode for the former transition. Various biological processes are dependent on the phase states and temperatures of the transitions, for example endo- and exocytotic effects. Also, processes such as cell-cell interaction, cell adhesion, and binding and recognition processes by receptors are governed by the state of order of the membrane matrix and its constituents (see chapter VI).

3. PHYSICAL TECHNIQUES FOR THE DETERMI-NATION OF GLYCOLIPID ORGANISATION

In the following chapters, some common and most powerful physico-chemical methods for the determination and characterization of lipid organization are presented. Also methods for the analysis of phases and phase transitions are shown (for more details see for example Cevc 1993 [34], Shechter 2004 [35], Winter and Noll 1998 [27]).

4. PHYSICAL TECHNIQUES FOR THE DETERMINATION OF AGGREGATE STRUCTURES

The method of choice to determine aggregate structures of glycolipids is the application of X-ray or neutron scattering (= X-ray or neutron diffraction) [27]. Here it is focussed mainly on small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) due to the availability of high-brilliance synchrotron sources. Usually a differentiation between the small-angle region and the wide-angle region (SAXS= small-angle X-ray scattering, WAXS = wide-angle X-ray scattering) is made [27].

Applying this technique, the three-dimensional organization of biomolecules can be calculated according to the Laue or the Bragg equation [27]. X-ray scattering patterns are recorded in the case of SAXS in the range 0.01 < s < 1 nm^-1, and in the case of WAXS (wide-angle X-ray scattering) in the range 2 < s < 5 nm^-1 (scattering vector s = 1/d, d = spacings of the sample, s = 2 sin (/(, 2( scattering angle and ( the wavelength, usually at 0.15 nm). For the X-ray diffraction patterns shown here, the measurements were performed at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) outstation at the Hamburg synchrotron radiation facility HASYLAB using the double-focussing mono-chromator-mirror camera X33 [81]. The diffraction patterns were recorded at a specific temperature with exposure times of 1 min using a linear detector with delay line readout (‘Gabriel’-detector) or, as new instrumentation - an image plate detector with online readout (MAR345, MarResearch, Norderstedt/Germany) [82]. The s-axis was calibrated with Ag-behenate which has a periodicity of 58.4 nm. The diffraction patterns were evaluated as described previously [22, 83, 84], assigning the spacing ratios of the main scattering maxima to defined three-dimensional structures.

The scattered X-ray intensity (I = |F|²) can be written as product of the structure factor and the form factor. In the case of lamellar structures, this expression can be written explicitly:

The integral represents the charge distribution along one bilayer with the periodicity d, and the first term is the summation over N stacks.

The SAXS range allows the determination of the long-range order, i.e., the periodicities of the aggregate structures: The most relevant of these structures are direct micellar, lamellar, cubic and hexagonal (direct H_I and inverted H_II), and are presented in Fig. (2). They are characterized by the following features (see also chapter ‘Self-assembly and aggregate properties of glycolipids’):

(1) Micellar structures with acyl chains inside and head groups outside. The simplest forms would be spherical micelles and more complex forms are the H_I structures (see Vill et al., 1989 [85], Brandenburg et al., 2000 [62] and 1998 [86]).

An example for SAXS patterns of spherical micelles which have so far not been described in literature are given in Fig. (13) (monoacylated lactoside Lac-β-OC₂-OC₁₄), and of the direct H_I structure in Fig. (14) (triacylated lipid A, derived from E. coli lipopoly-saccharide). The latter spectrum consists of the reflexions at 5.10, 4.42, and 3.31 nm which are related to the periodicity at 8.78 nm as the √3-, √4-, and √7-fold. The former diffraction pattern can be described as the Fourier-transform of a sphere, i.e., in the above equation only the form factor gives a contribution (N=1, this means the structure factor equals zero).

(2) Lamellar structures show a three-dimensional organisation with 1-dimensional symmetry.

A) Unilamellar: Here, usually only one broad diffraction band is observed.

In Fig. (15A) an example of a glycolipid, in which only the lipid bilayer, an unilamellar structure in an undefined geometry, is expressed, the SAXS pattern of a lipopolysaccharide from S. minnesota Ra-mutant (strain R60) is shown.

B) Multilamellar: The reflections are grouped at equidistant ratios, i.e., 1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, etc. of the lamellar repeat distance dB_l (see equation above). As an example for a multilamellar stack the diffraction pattern of a lipid A preparation in the presence of an antimicrobial peptide (EU#36 based on human lactoferrin) is presented in Figs. (15B and 16).

Furthermore, also the glycolipid monoacyl maltoside (Mal-β-NH-COC₁₅), as ester-bound, is organized into multilamellae.

(3) Cubic: These phases have a three-dimensional symmetry. The different space groups of these non-lamellar three-dimensional structures differ in the ratio of their spacings. The relation between the reciprocal spacing sB_hklB = 1/dB_hklB and lattice constant a is

sB_hklB = [(hP^2P + kP^2P+ lP^2P) / a ]^1/2

(hkl = Miller indices of the corresponding set of plane).

According to the geometry, cubic phases may be of type I (the cross-section of the hydrophilic moiety is larger than that of the hydrophobic moiety) or of type II (the reversed situation of type I).

For lipid samples, including glycolipids, the bicontinuous cubic phases Q²²⁴ (Pn3m), Q²²⁹ (Im3m), and Q²³⁰ (Ia3d) are of particular importance [14]. It has been shown that lipid A under near physiological conditions has a preference for cubic phases, in particular Q²²⁴ and Q²²⁹ [86]. A very impressive example of a cubic phase for a glycolipid is given in Fig. (17) for the diacylated disaccharide maltose-1,3-oleyl (see Milkereit et al., 2005 [87-89]), for which the occurrence of reflections at 1/√2, 1/√3, 1/√4, 1/√6, 1/√8 , 1/√9 ,1/√10 , 1/√12 , 1/√14, and 1/√16 of a periodicity at 11.65 nm are characteristic for the cubic phase Q²²⁴.

(4) Hexagonal: This is a structure with 2-dimensional symmetry. The relation between s and the basic vector a is:

shk=2√h²+k²–hk/ a √3

(s₁₀ =2/a √3=1/d_h,

d_h = Spacing of the basic periodicity).

Hexagonal structures may occur with the lipid moiety inside and the polar head group outside (H_I) or vice versa (H_II). Inverted hexagonal phases are frequently found for glycolipids in the liquid-crystalline phase at high temperatures. Here, two examples are given in different presentations.

In Fig. (18A), a SAXS pattern measured at 80 °C is shown for a highly purified lipid A preparation, isolated from LPS from E coli, exhibiting reflections that occur at the 1/√3, 1/√4, 1/√7, 1/√9, 1/√12, and 1/√13 of the periodicity at 5.88 nm. The data for the compound dioleoyl-galactoside is shown in Fig. (18B) in which the electron density distribution of the H_II phase at 40 and 60 °C is presented.

Beside these basic structures, also particular phases are observed. To these belong interdigitated phases for monoacylated saccharides. Such an interdigitated phase is presented in Fig. (19) for stearoyl-α-galactose in the temperature range 20-60 °C, which converts into a ‘normal’ L_α phase at 80 °C [80].

Also very highly ordered phases with crystalline symmetry are found in some cases, as illustrated for dimyristoyl-maltoside in Fig. (20). Here, at 5 °C reflections are observed at 5.92, 2.97, 1.97, and 1.54 nm, which would correspond to a multilamellar phase with the periodicity and the corresponding higher order reflections (top). The other reflections at 2.27, 1.89, and 1.48 nm are not correlated to the former, and are indicative of a higher symmetry than a multilamellar stack, for example a triclinic or an orthorhombic phase [90]. On heating, these crystalline phases disappear and give rise to a normal liquid-crystalline phase at 60 °C (Fig. 20, bottom).

The wide-angle scattering range comprises the packing of the acyl chains. Normally the acyl chains of glycolipids are packed hexagonally, i.e. in a geometry described above for the long-range order systems. However, more ordered crystalline structures also occur, which may give rise to various unrelated sharp reflections.

5. THERMOTROPIC AND LYOTROPIC PROPER-TIES OF GYLCOLIPIDS

In the last decade the number of papers, written about glycolipids and their physico-chemical properties, especially their thermotropic and lyotropic properties has increased (see references presented in this paper). Glycolipids have a particular relevance as liquid-crystalline materials [7, 91].

Hato and coworkers have observed a stereochemical dependent self-assembly of the hydrated lipid for the glycolipid 1,3-di-O-dodecyl-2-(β-maltoheptosyl)glycerol [92]. The reason for such behaviour is due to differences in the head group conformation of the cello-oligossacharide (see also Hato and coworkers 1996 [78], 1998 [92], 2001 [93]).

The thermotropic and lyotropic phase behaviour of diastereomer glycoglycerolipids containing a single hexopyranoside or pentopyranoside head group have been extensively studied by Mannock and McElhaney (2004) [65]. Using DSC and X-ray for the investigation of the physico-chemical properties of certain diastereomer glycoglycerolipids, it was suggested that both - head group and interfacial hydration - determine the lyotropic as well as the mesomorphic phase properties. It was observed that for glycoglycerolipids of a given chain length, the interactions between the head group interface and water molecules determine whether or not a highly ordered, lamellar crystalline phase is formed. Furthermore, the number of such phases and their rate of formation and, in some cases, the nature of the molecular packing of those phases is determined by these interactions [64, 65]. In the liquid-crystalline phases, the hydrocarbon chains determine the area per molecule in the lamellar liquid-crystalline phase, but it is the cross-sectional area of the hydrated head group and the penetration of water into the interface which determines the nature of the non-lamellar phases, probably through small changes in interfacial geometry as the lateral stresses in the head group region increase [65].

Amidic glycolipids with saccharide head groups and their physical properties as well as packaging states were presented by Takeoka et al., (1998) [94]. Using the reactivity of saccharide against Concanavalin A, they were able to show that the reactivity of those saccharide glycolipids showing high reactivity probably was related to the loose packing of the saccharide moiety [94].

The analysis of the physico-chemical properties of various glycolipids are now available, for example: synthetic phytanyl-chained glycolipid/water systems [95], glycolipids with oligolactose head groups [9, 96], dialkyl glycolipids [46, 97], alkylpolyglacosides [93] or chiral glucose-derived surfactants [98], long-chain alkylmaltosides [99] or glycopyranosides [100], the in-plane miscibility and mixed bilayer microstructure formation of cationic glycolipids and zwitterionic phospholipids [101], disubstituted sucrose esters [102], monoacylates maltose glycolipids [103], dioleoyl glycolipids with mono- and disaccharide head groups [104], monoacylated amide-linked disaccharide glycolipids [105], amphiphilic branched chain glycolipids [106] or cellobiose alkanoates [107].

The phase transitions of glycolipids are often kinetically hindered. Rapp and colleagues have used X-ray to inves-tigate the glycolipid phase kinetics [108, 109], which is quite complex depending on the history of the sample preparation as well as storage conditions and the presence of additional components.

Certain glycolipids have very unspecific properties. For example, antiferroelectric ordering, which was observed for some glycolipids in bent-core liquid-crystals [110].

In the last years, efforts were undertaken to model and simulate the thermotropic and lyotropic alkyl glycoside bilayers [111] in order to understand the molecular principles for the formation of specific phases.

Various excellent reviews are available which deal with the self-assembly of glycolipids (for examples: Corti et al., 2007 [112], Dumoulin et al., 2002 [113]).

6. BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL IMPLICA-TIONS

Generally speaking, sphingolipids with short or longer sugar chains play an important role in, for example, the formation of membrane domains, which are involved in membrane-associated events such as cell signalling, adhesion, and protein sorting. These domains, called rafts, are frequently consisting of long-chain sugar sphingolipids called gangliosides [114, 115]. Of course, not all different glycolipid components of cellular membranes mix ideally with the usual phospholipids and not even with chemically similar compounds. Thus, Maggio studied the interaction mechanisms in Langmuir monolayer systems of ceramides, glycosphingolipids, and gangliosides [116]. He found different basic tendencies for the glycosphingolipids to molecularly mix and demix, and to be preferentially located in liquid-expanded or liquid-condensed states. A general presentation of the behaviour of glycosphinolipids in complex biomembranes was published by Prinetti et al., (2009) [117], and details of the complex interplays between different glycosphingolipids and the tensions in lateral and transversal planes caused by them were presented by Maggio and others [118-120].

Five years ago, Goodby et al., 2007 [121] have reviewed the thermotropic liquid-crystalline glycolipids. In their introductory part of the paper, they ask whether liquid-crystalline properties of the materials of living systems are important and what is the relevance for biological structures, functions, diseases and treatments [121]. Goodby and coworkers show evident that these materials play a certain role in biology. They mention that over the last years, the observed lyotropic, and often thermotropic liquid-crystallinity of many biological materials that are linked to key biological functionalities might be more than just a curious coincidence. There are different aspects of glycolipids and their properties as liquid-crystalline compounds that are crucial for biological systems. For example, Vill has analysed and discussed the stereochemistry of glycolipids and linked this property to membrane functions [122].

As amphiphiles glycolipids self-assemble forming different structures and phases, so called “soft-matters”, which combine the properties of structure and flexibility. Flexibility and adaptation (re-organisation and the formation of various phases) are key aspects for biological systems [123]. Furthermore, the water response of certain glycolipids and the formation of lyotropic phases are also of high relevance. Depending on the chemical nature of the glycolipid, they are also able to form stable micelles and vesicles [105, 124-126].

The analysis of biological cells shows that a large variety of glycolipids can be isolated. Beside the phospholipids, glycolipids are important components of cell membranes. In certain cell membranes the concentration of glycolipids is much higher [127]. For example, the amounts of glycolipids like cerebrosides, globosides or gangliosides are of higher concentration in nerve cell membranes compared to other lipids. These specific glycolipids are related to the appearance of certain diseases. An increase in cerebrosides induces in humans the manifestation of diseases like Gaucher’s or Krabbe’s disease Further examples are listed in Table 2.

Glycolipids are also related to the formation of inhomo-geneities, i.e. the formation of domains in biological membranes. The role of these domains is still being controversially discussed [128-130].

Glycolipids are also highly present in bacteria of the extremophile group [127, 131].

Certain glycolipids are responsible for anti-infective resistance and anti-bacterial properties. Lotfabad et al., (2013) have evaluated the antibacterial capability of rhamnolipids (MR01 and MASH1) against several specified microor-ganisms [132]. They observed remarkable inhibitory effect against Gram-positive bacteria, but none of the two tested glycolipids MR01 and MASH1 showed significant effects on Gram-negative bacteria growth inhibition [132, 133].

One example of a glycolipid with anti-infective resistance, is the cell wall of mycobacteria which contains highly specifically branched lipids based on arabinogalactan. These glycolipids termed as mycolic acids are the molecular reason for the high resistance of mycobacteria against most traditional anti-infectives [134].

Various glycolipids are known for having certain physiological impacts. For example, the cord factor, 6,6’-dimycoclic ester of a,a-trehalose, is linked to a virulent strain of tubercle bacilli [135, 136]. Furthermore, the cord factor has immunostimulatory properties and shows antitumour activity [137]. In an aqueous medium it also causes bacteria to form cords (Goodby et al., 2007 [121] and references cited therein, Almog and Mannella 1996 [130]).

Related to liquid-crystalline materials, the cord factor exhibits a thermotrope-induced cubic phase [130, 137].

Saponins are a class of glycosides linked to steroids, steroidal alkaloids or triterpenes found in a number of plants (e.g. Agrostemma githago, Lonicera, Aesculus hippocasta-num). Dissolved in water, saponins induce the formation of an alkaline solution. This is the reason for the name saponin, which is derived from the latin word sapo, meaning soap. Due to this property saponins are capable of hemolysing erythrocyte cells. The bioactivity of saponins has been described by Rao and Gurfinkel 2000 [138]. Taken via the peroral route, most saponins induce more or less toxicity. In case of peroral intoxication, activated-carbon should be given directly followed by a concrete treatment.

A therapeutically relevant example of this class of glycolipids is the cardio-active drug digitoxin. Additional examples of glycolipids and their derivatives as therapeutic agents can be found elsewhere (for a summary see Sakai and Koezuka 1999 [139], Moran et al., 2009 [127]). As an example, for the therapeutic application of glycolipid (an analog of alpha-galactosylceramide with a truncated sphingosine chain) a synthetic glycolipid is tested for the treatment of multiple sclerosis [140]. Oral administration of this glycolipid induces Th2 bias of autoimmune T cells via the production of interleukin 4 by NKT cells, leading to the suppression of encephalomyelitis [140].

Different glycolipids are linked to immunological activity. For example, mycobacterial trehalose-containing glycolipids show immunomodulatory activity on human CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cells [141]. Immunomodulation by zwitterionic polysaccharides is reviewed by McLoughlin and Kasper (2009) [142]. Reed et al., (2004) [143] have presented a glycolipid study related to a hypervirulent tuberculosis strain that inhibits the innate immune response. The text by Apicella and Jennings (2009) [144] deals with the phase variation of bacterial surface glycosylated molecules in immune evasion. The use of glycomimetics as inhibitors in anti-infection therapy has been recently described by Kiefel (2009) [145] and applications of bacterial polysaccharide vaccines have been presented by Jennings and Pon (2009) [146].

The paper by Savage et al. [147] focuses on glycolipids for natural killer T cells [147] and Tsuij (2006) [148] described different glycolipids and phospholipids that function as natural CD1d-binding NKT cell ligands [149].

Recently, Takahashi et al., (2012) observed an antioxidant effect of glycolipid biosurfactants of the class of mannosylerythritol. The results of their study show that the investigated glycolipid has protective effects against water peroxide induced oxidation of human skin fibroblasts [150].

It also states that certain glycolipids are not observed in mammals [150]. In the monograph by Moran et al., 2009 [127] entitled “microbial glycobiology”, a number of examples can be found which will not be considered here.

Glycolipids are also tested as drug delivery systems. Bogdanneko et al., (2005) [151] have used a lactose containing glycolipid in gene therapy for the targeted DNA delivery. Glycerate surfactants are tested as sustained release systems for drug delivery [152] (Boyd et al., 2006).

Liquid-crystalline nanoparticulate systems have also been described and tested as drug delivery systems [153].

Also in the field of cosmetic applications some glycolipid biosurfactants are being evaluated [154-156]. Yamamoto et al., (2012) evaluated the property of various mannosy-lerythritol lipids on the moisturising effect (water retention property) on human skin [157]. The outcome of the study suggested that these glycolipids are likely to exhibit a high moisturizing action by assisting the barrier function of the skin. This effect was linked to the unique feature of mannosylerythritol derivatived as liquid-crystal forming compounds [157].

Sulfatide, sulphated glycolipids, were recently reviewed by Compostella et al., [158]. These glycolipids form a class of relevant endogeneous acidic glycolipids found in mammalian membranes. Sulfatides are an important constituent of brain lipids. Furthermore, sulfatides are an essential lipid class found in the peripheral as well as the central nervous system, with concentrations of ca 5 mole-% of the total lipids in adult brain myelin.

The biological relevance of certain lipopolysaccharides, especially their structure-related activity was investigated intensively by Brandenburg and co-workers [3, 159]. As a general rule, lipopolysaccharides with a cone-shaped structure induce inflammation (agonistic), whereas lipopolysaccharides with a lamellar-shaped structure are less active or show no activity at all (antagonistic) (see Fig. 21A).

These are just a few selected examples for the biological implications of glycolipids in biology. Fig. (21B) summarises the current knowledge about the relationship between the self-organisation and supra-molecular structure of various lipopolysaccharides with biological activity, more explicitly, endotoxicity [3]. For this class of glycolipids one can tentatively conclude that a more rectangular shape of the single LPS molecule show reduced or are inactive, whereas cone-shaped LPS molecules show increased endotoxicity [3, 159]. However, it is clear that a lot is currently unknown and a number of efforts are still necessary to get a better understanding with regards to the biological relevance of glycolipids.

References