FLAVIN PIGMENTS EMBEDDED IN LIPID MATRICES: A SPECTROSCOPIC AND PHOTOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION

— –The spectroscopic properties of riboflavin tetrabutyrate have been studied in lecithin lipo-somes and several detergent micellar systems. The results indicate that the flavin chromophore is located close to the liposome-water interphase rather than in the hydrophobic region. By varying the number of flavins contained in each liposome and employing fluorescence spectroscopy and steady state photolysis techniques, the possible existence of two distinct environments for the flavin chromophore was demonstrated. Several basic photochemical properties of riboflavin tetrabutyrate in liposomes and micellar systems were investigated using laser flash and microsecond flash photolysis techniques.