Phospholipids of human serum

Phospholipids extracted from normal human serum were fractionated into lecithin, lysolecithin, sphingomyelin, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, lysophosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl serine, and phosphatidyl inositol. Identification of each was established by thin-layer chromatography and infrared spectrophotometry. The content of plasmalogen was determined in both lecithin and phosphatidyl ethanolamine fractions. The composition of fatty acids and fatty aldehydes in isolated phospholipids is presented. The degree of unsaturation as reflected in the average content of double bonds per molecule of the fatty acids in phospholipids was: lecithin 1.2, choline plasmalogen 2.1, lysolecithin 0.6, sphingomyelin 0.2, phosphatidyl ethanolamine 2.8, lysophosphatidyl ethanolamine 1.0, phosphatidyl serine 1.0, and phosphatidyl inositol 1.8. Both chlline and ethanolamine plasmalogen aldehydes were predominantly saturated. Molecular weight of each phospholipid was calculated from determined fatty acid and fatty aldehyde compositions; the phosphorus factor for each phospholipid was computed. On a weight percent basis, lecithin, sphingomyelin, and lysolecithin accounted for 95% of the total phospholipids. The ethanolamine-containing phospholipids accounted for 2.5%, and the remainder was divided among phosphatidyl inositol, choline plasmalogen and phosphatidyl serine. Presented in part at the AOCS Meeting, Houston, April, 1965. Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare, USPHS.     

The major component phospholipids of rapeseed gum

The phospholipids from a commercial rapeseed gum have been fractionated on DEAE-cellulose and silicic acid columns. The molar percentages of the major components were phosphatidyl choline (22), phosphatidyl inositol (18) and phosphatidyl ethanolamine (15). Other acidic phospholipids (16) were also observed but were not further investigated. The fatty acids from the phospholipid fractions showed little variation in composition. The chief components were palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids. Issued as NRC No. 8947. National Research Council of Canada Postdoctorate Fellow 1964–65.     

Composition and structure of phospholipids in chicken muscle tissues

Lipids extracted from breast muscle and thigh muscle of one-year old chickens on a standard MSU-Z-4 diet have been fractionated by silicic acid column chromatography into nonphospholipids, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl serine, phosphatidyl choline (lecithin), and sphingomyelins. Phospholipid fractions were identified by thin-layer chromatography and the quantity of each determined by gravimetric analysis, analysis of the phosphorus content, and infrared spectra. The phospholipid content of thigh muscle (dark meat) lipids was higher than that in the breast muscle (white meat). Phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine were found in relatively greater amts than phosphatidyl serine and sphingomyelins. Enzymatic hydrolysis followed by gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of the fatty acids liberated and those in the lysocompounds was used to establish the positional specificity of the fatty acids in the phosphoglycerides. The polyunsaturated fatty acids are located primarily at the β-position and the saturated fatty acids at the α′-position. The qualitative and quantiative determination of the plasmalogens was also accomplished. Michigan Agriculture Experiment Station Journal Article No. 3527. Presented at the AOCS Meeting in Chicago, October, 1964.     

Fatty acids in phospholipids isolated from human red cells

Total lipids of packed erythrocytes from healthy men 22 to 25 years old were extracted with chloroform-methanol mixture. Phospholipid classes were separated from neutral lipids and pigments on a silicic acid column. Phosphatidyl inositol (PI) was freed of its contaminants phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidyl serine (PS) on an aluminum oxide column. Additional silicic acid columns with modified solvent systems were needed for complete separation of other overlapped phospholipid classes. The identification of phospholipids in each eluted fraction was accomplished by TLC, using the appropriate spray tests and reference compounds, and confirmed on each of the isolated phospholipids by IR spectrophotometry. The total content of phospholipids as determined by phosphorus analysis was found to be 2.63 mg/ml of packed cells. These phospholipids were found to have the following composition (in per cent of total phospholipid): PI, 2.3; PE, 13.4; ethanolamine plasmalogen (EP), 14.5; PS, 3.9; lecithin (L), 34.2; choline plasmalogen (CP), 1.4; sphingomyelin (Sph), 28.4 and lysolecithin (LL), 1.7. The fatty acid composition of each phospholipid was determined by GLC. The average number of double bonds per fatty acid in the isolated phospholipids was found to be as follows: PI, 1.5; PE, 1.9; EP, 3.6; PS, 2.1; L, 1.0; CP, 2.0; Sph, 0.2 and LL, 0.5. The positional distribution of fatty acids in both L and PE was ascertained by selective enzymatic hydrolysis with phospholipase A. Saturated fatty acids of L were esterified predominantly in the α′-position, whereas in PE only 63.9 mole per cent of the saturated fatty acids were found in this position. Presented in part at the AOCS Meeting in Los Angeles, April 1966. Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare, USPHS.     

Lipid Composition of Garlic

Neutral, glyco- and phospholipids of garlic were resolved into their component fractions by thin layer chromatography. Neutral lipids contained considerable quantities of monoglycerides (18.5%), diglycerides (14.2%), sterols (16.3%) and triglycerides (41.5%) respectively. The phospholipid fraction was rich in phosphatidyl choline (23.5%), phosphatidyl ethanolamine (17.9%), lysophosphatidyl choline (11.8%) and lysophosphatidyl ethanolamine (8.2%). Digalactosyl diglyceride (10.1%), sterol glycoside (15.6%), cerebrosides (8.1%), acylsterol glycoside (38.6%) and monogalactosyl diglyceride (22.5%) were the major components of the glycolipids of garlic. Lauric, myristic, palmitic and linoleic acids constituted the major fatty acids of monoglycerides, diglycerides and free fatty acid fractions whereas palmitic, linoleic and linolenic acids were the major fatty acids of triglycerides. Palmitic and linoleic acids were the major fatty acids of garlic phospholipids. Except the acylsterol glycoside fraction glycolipids were rich in lauric, palmitic, linoleic and linolenic acids; palmitic acid was the only major fatty acid of acylsterol glycosides.     

The effect of diet on the phospholipid composition of the red blood cells of man

Short term (16 day) controlled fat (formula type diet) feeding to 10 healthy adult males led to no detectable change in the total amt or the relative proportions of the individual phospholipids of the red blood cells, although limited changes did occur in the fatty acids of certain of the phospholipids. The total phospholipid content of the red blood cells was 315±10 mg/100 ml (average of 20 samples). Lecithin accounted for 34% of the total, with sphingomyelin, phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl serine representing 25, 25 and 16%, respectively. Approx 36% of the phosphatidyl ethanolamine, 4% of the phosphatidyl serine and 6% of the lecithin was present in the plasmalogen form. Each phospholipid class was found to have a distinctive fatty acid spectrum. The M ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids in all three phosphoglycerides was nearly 1:1. Behenic, lignoceric and nervonic acids made up almost half of the sphingomyelin fatty acids, and the M ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids in this lipid was 3:1. When compared with red cells from subjects consuming a diet with a high butter fat content, red cells from subjects on a diet rich in corn oil were found to contain higher levels of linoleic acid in the lecithin and phosphatidyl serine fractions, and lower levels of oleic acid in the lecithin fraction. No changes were observed in the fatty acids of the phosphatidyl ethanolamine and sphingomyelin fractions. It is probable that these alterations represent the result of highly specific exchanges with plasma fatty acids, and it is suggested that three levels of specificity are involved: class of phospholipid, type of fatty acid, and specific fatty acid.     

Phospholipid composition of the boll weevil,Anthonomus grandis boheman

When phospholipids of newly-emerged adults of the boll weevil,Anthonomus grandis Boheman, were studied in detail, phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine were found to be the major phospholipids; sphingomyelin and cardiolipin were present in smaller amounts, and four other minor components were identified. Fatty acid analyses performed on the intact phospholipids and on the enzyme degradation products of phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine demonstrated that oleic and linoleic acids were the major fatty acids present in the glycerophosphatides; the sphingomyelin contained fatty acids in the range of 20–22 carbons.     

Lipid composition of normal and hypertrophic bovine thyroids

The phospholipid content of bovine thyroid tissue amounts to 70% of total lipid. Triglycerides and cholesterol are the main neutral lipids. Only trace amounts of free fatty acid and esterified cholesterol are found, while two not yet identified components also are present. The distribution of lipid phosphorus in the different phospholipid classes is as follows: phosphatidyl choline, 43.0%; phosphatidyl ethanolamine, 25.2%; phosphatidyl serine, 5.6%; phosphatidyl inositol, 6.5%; sphingomyelin, 14.0%; cardiolipin, 2.8%; lysophosphatidyl choline, <1%; and phosphatidic acid, <1%. The phosphatidyl ethanolamines are rich in plasmalogens. The fatty acid patterns in the different lipid classes are reported. The essential differences between normal and hypertrophic bovine thyroid tissue are higher water content and lower triglyceride and sphingomyelin values for hypertrophic tissue.     

Similarities in surface lipids of chylomicrons from glyceryl and alkyl ester feeding: Major components

This study tests the hypothesis that the rat chylomicrons are assembled and released into lymph similarly regardless of the site (rough or smooth endoplasmic reticulum) or pathway (phosphatidic acid or monoacylglycerol) of triacylglycerol biosynthesis. For this purpose we determined the lipid class, fatty acid and molecular species composition of the choline, ethanolamine, inositol and serine phospholipids of lymph chylomicrons during absorption of menhaden, mustard-seed and corn oil (monoacylglycerol pathway) or the corresponding fatty acid methyl or ethyl esters (phosphatidic acid pathway). The dietary fatty acids were found to be incorporated to various extents into different phospholipid classes, the proportions of which were not affected by the nature of the dietary fat. The chylomicron phospholipids contained 80–82% choline, 8% ethanolamine and 2.5% inositol glycerophospholipids, and much smaller amounts of serine and other minor phospholipids. Administration of a meal of each dietary fat resulted in a retention of approximately 50% endogenous fatty acids in the major glycerophospholipids of the chylomicrons. A minimum of 50% of the molecular species of the choline and ethanolamine glycerophospholipids contained at least one exogenous fatty acid. No significant discrepancies were found in the fatty acid and molecular species composition of the glycerophospholipids between chylomicrons from the oil and corresponding ester feeding. It is concluded that the chylomicrons arising from the monoacylglycerol (oil feeding) and the phosphatidic acid (ester feeding) pathways of triacylglycerol biosynthesis become enveloped in surfactant monolayers containing qualitatively and quantitatively identical classes and molecular species of phospholipids. Part of this work was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Oil Chemists' Society, Baltimore, MD, April, 1990.     

On the phospholipids ofCulex pipiens fatigans

The lipids of different developmental stages ofCulex pipiens fatigans, vector of bancroftian filariasis, have been investigated. The phospholipid composition of the developmental stages and of the subcellular fractions of fourth instar larvae of the insects were analyzed. The composition of fatty acids and their positional distribution have also been examined in the major phospholipids of the larvae. The insect eggs contained higher amounts of lipids than larvae suggesting that they were utilized during embryogenesis. Phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidyl choline (PC) comprised over 75% of the insect phospholipids. Of these, PE was present in the greatest amounts during all stages of growth and in the subcellular fractions of larvae. An ethanolamine containing sphingolipid was found as a component of the phospholipids of the insects. About 50% of the lipids of the larvae were localized in the cell debris and nuclei fraction which also contained most of the lysolipids of the insects. As in other Diptera 16∶0, 16∶1 and 18∶1 were the major fatty acids present in the insect lipids of which the fatty acid found in greatest amounts was 16∶1. Similar to the phospholipids of animal species, saturated fatty acids were predominantly linked to the 1 position of the major phospholipids of the insects while the unsaturated fatty acids were in higher amounts at the 2 position.     

Phospholipid oxidation in emulsions

The autoxidation of purified phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidyl choline (PC), extracted from egg and soybean lipids, was followed by oxygen uptake measurements in emulsified systems. All emulsified phospholipid fractions had comparable activation energies. Measurement by various physico-chemical tests was made of specific changes in the phospholipid molecule during autoxidation. PE oxidized more rapidly and absorbed more oxygen than PC. Higher 2-thiobarbituric acid test and diene and triene conjugation absorbance values were observed for PE than for PC. Of the two major polyunsaturated fatty acids in egg phospholipids, arachidonic acid disappeared at a more rapid rate during oxidation while the concentration of linoleic acid decreased to a level that was relatively constant. Although typical unsaturated fatty acid oxidation appeared to occur in all phospholipid fractions, oxidation in aqueous emulsions was only partly a function of fatty acid composition. The nitrogen moieties, ethanolamine and choline influenced the induction period for the oxidation of PE and PC respectively. Michigan Agriculture Experiment Station Journal Article No. 4420. Presented in part at the AOCS Meeting, Chicago, October 1967.     

In vitro incorporation of acetate-1-14C into the phospholipids of rabbit and human endometria

Endometria from nonpregnant and 6-day pregnant rabbits and from humans in the proliferative and secretory phases were incubated with 1-¹⁴C-acetate.¹⁴CO₂ was collected, and subsequently the amounts, specific radioactivities, and in some cases the fatty acid compositions of the isolated phospholipids were determined. Phosphatidyl choline was the phospholipid present in highest amount in endometria from both nonpregnant and pregnant rabbits, and in human endometria; this phospholipid also showed the highest degree of incorporation of¹⁴C-acetate. Pregnancy in the rabbit seemed to decrease the incorporation of¹⁴C-acetate into most of the endometrial phospholipid classes. In humans, the incorporation of acetate into phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine was lower in the secretory than the proliferative endometria. Of the fatty acids, linoleic acid in phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine of the rabbit endometria showed a significant relative increase during pregnancy and palmitoleic acid showed a decrease. This investigation was supported by a grant from the Ford Foundation.     

Studies on tamarind kernel oil II1L : analysis of phospholipids

Phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl serine, phosphatidyl inositol, phospha-tidic acid, and lyso derivatives of phosphotidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine were identi-fied from phospholipids of Tamarind kernel oil. Phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine were isolated and their fatty acid composition was determined by GLC. Reference 2 is considered as paper I of the series. Presented at Annual Convention of Chemists, Dec. 1977, at Jaipur, India.     

Analysis of Phospholipids in Rat Brain Using Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

The brain is a lipid-rich organ containing complex polar lipids including phospholipids (PLs) and sphingolipids. These lipids are involved in the structure and function of cell membranes in the brain. We developed a fast and efficient liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method to quantify five different classes of PLs [Choline glycerophospholipid (consists of phosphatidyl choline and plasmenyl choline in these samples), ethanolamine glycerophospholipid (consist of phosphatidyl ethanolamine and plasmenyl ethanolamine in these samples), phosphatidyl serine, phosphatidyl inositol, and sphingomyelin] in the brain tissues of 80-day-old Wistar rats. The PLs were extracted from rat brain using chloroform/methanol/water. After separation using a hydrophilic high performance liquid chromatography column, PL-class-specific fragmentation (head group identification) with a tandem mass spectrometer in positive ion mode was utilized to measure changes in the relative concentration of the five PL classes. The advantage of this approach was its improved specificity over previously reported LC–MS methods. The method had good repeatability (coefficient of variation 3–9%, excluding phosphatidyl inositol) and recovery (92–103%) and compared well with more laborious traditional methods.     

A comparative study of the lipids of globule membrane and fat core and of the milk serum of cows

Nine samples of fresh raw cow's milk were separated into fat globules and milk serum by centrifugation. After destabilization by freezing and thawing, the milk fat globules were resolved into membranes and fat cores. The lipid composition of these structures was compared to that of the surrounding milk serum. Of the total milk fat, 95–98% was in the fat cores, 0.5–1% in the globule membranes and the rest (1.5–4%) in the milk serum. The fat cores contained 88–93% triglyceride, 5.2–9.8% diglyceride, 1.5–7.3% free fatty acid and 0.2–0.4% cholesterol, but no phospholipid. The lipids of the membrane contained 21–44% phospholipid, made up of about equal proportions of phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl choline, and sphingomyelin. The other lipids of the membrane (56–79%) consisted of 83–88% triglyceride, 5.1–10.7% diglyceride, 1–5.1% free fatty acid and 0.4–1.9% cholesterol. The milk serum contained 30–45% phospholipid divided about equally among phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl choline and sphingomyelin. The rest (55–70%) of the milk serum lipids was made up of 71–83% triglycerides, 4.3–10.1% diglycerides, 8.7–15.7% free fatty acids, and 1.2–8.4% cholesterol. Corresponding phospholipid classes of milk serum and globule membranes had identical fatty acid compositions. The triglycerides and diglycerides of the globule membranes possessed increased proportions of palmitic and stearic acids in comparison to the glycerides of the fat cores. Taken in part from a PhD thesis submitted by T. C. Huang to Queen's University, Kingston, Canada in April, 1965. Presented in part at the 47th Canadian Chemical Conference and Exhibition held in Kingston, Canada, June 1–3, 1964.     

Lipid and fatty acid composition of testes of quaking mice

Testes of quaking mice (sterile mutants) and of controls were analyzed for major lipid classes and fatty acid composition. Of the main lipid classes, only cholesterol esters differed significantly in concentration between the two groups (1.01 for quakers vs 0.69 mg/g wet wt of tissue for controls). The concentration of triglycerides was 4.5–5.0, that of total phosphatides 18–19, and that of free cholesterol 1.9–2.0 mg/g for mutants and controls. The concentrations of phosphatidyl ethanolamine and of sphingomyelin were both lower in quaking than in normal mice, but only the change in the former was statistically significant. Phosphatidyl choline was the major phosphatide (43–45% of total phosphatides) followed by phosphatidyl ethanolamine (24–26%) and sphingomyelin, phosphatidyl serine, and phosphatidyl inositol (all ca. 7% of total phosphatides). Minor differences between the mutants and controls were observed in concentrations of fatty acids of major lipid classes. The mutants, sterile because of faulty spermatid differentiation, had normal quantities of 22∶6 w3 and 22∶5 w6. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that the 22-carbon polyenes are associated with the formation of spermatids, rather than with their final differentiation into spermatozoa.     

Analysis of subcellular phosphatidyl choline in developing rabbit lung

Phosphatidyl choline is a major lung surfactant. Insufficient development of the surfactant in neonates is often associated with the Respiratory Distress Syndrome. The concentration and fatty acid composition of phosphatidyl choline have not been studied in the subcellular organelles of the developing lung. This study has investigated the development of the concentration and fatty acid composition of phosphatidyl choline in subcellular fractions of 28-day and 30-day fetal and maternal New Zealand rabbit lungs. The concentration of total phospholipids in lamellar bodies increased four to five fold from 28-day fetus to 30-day fetus which, in turn, was similar to the maternal level. Total phospholipid content increased only about 50% in mitochondria and microsomes. The percentage of phosphatidyl choline among total phospholipids in lamellar bodies increased successively from 60% at 28 days gestation to 84% at 30 days gestation and leveled at 84% in maternal lamellar bodies. Microsomal PC increased steadily from 52% in the 28-day fetus to 65% in the adult. Analysis of the fatty acid composition of phosphatidyl choline in lamellar bodies confirmed 16∶0 as the major fatty acid, and its content remained constant from 28 days gestation to adult. In contrast, the content of 16∶0 of the microsomal phosphatidyl choline decreased with increasing gestation. Changes of several unsaturated fatty acid components were observed in both lamellar bodies and microsomes in the developing lungs. Maturational development of phosphatidyl choline is reflected in an increase in the concentration of this surfactant, particularly in lamellar bodies, and possibly in remodeling of fatty acid composition in both lamellar bodies and microsomes.     

The lipid components of white potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum)

Four Canadian varieties of potatoes were examined for their lipid composition. Lipids, extracted with chloroformmethanol, were shown by TLC and column chromatography to consist of 16.5% neutral lipids, 45.5% phospholipids and 38.1% glycolipids. Among the phospholipids and glycolipids, phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl inositol, the galactolipids and the sterol glucosides were the major lipids. The predominant fatty acids were palmitic (19.5%), linoleic (44.8%) and linolenic (30.4%, in Kennebec). Analyses of the fatty acids of stored potatoes showed a marked decrease in linoleic acid and an increase in linolenic acid, in the Irish Cobbler and Sebago potatoes. β-sitosterol comprised 85.0% of total sterols. Nearly half of the carotenoids was lutein (xanthophyll), the others being α-carotene, β-carotene, an unidentified pigment and lutein epoxide. Contribution No. 101 of the Food Research Institute, Canada Department of Agriculture.     

Lipid labeling with32P-orthophosphate and14C-acetate in marine copepods

Freshly collectedCalanus pacificus were maintained in sea water containing 25 μCi/ml [³²P]orthophosphate or 1 μCi/ml [¹⁴C]acetate at 10 C for 24 hr. The animals took up label from the environment and incorporated it into various lipid fractions. After incubation with [¹⁴C]acetate the order of specific activity of the different lipid classes was: phospholipids > free fatty acids > wax esters > triglycerides. Argentation thin layer chromatography of the fatty acid methyl esters showed that ca. 50% of the activity was in saturated fatty acids and 34% in polyunsaturated acids. When the animals were exposed to [³²P]orthophosphate, lysophosphatidyl choline became most heavily labeled, followed by lysophosphatidyl ethanolamine, sphingomyelin, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, and phosphatidyl choline. Comparison of the data obtained with those available for decapods and mammals revealed striking similarities between these phylogenetically distant groups. It is believed that labeling the lipids of marine and freshwater planktonic crustaceans in this way will provide much information about the metabolism of lipids in these organisms.     

Lipids of some thermophilic fungi

Total lipid content in the thermophilic fungi—Thermoascus aurantiacus, Humicola lanuginosa, Malbranchea pulchella var.sulfurea, andAbsidia ramosa—varied from 5.3 to 19.1% of mycelial dry weight. The neutral and polar lipid fractions accounted for 56.4 to 80.2% and 19.8 to 43.6%, respectively. All the fungi contained monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides, free fatty acids, and sterols in variable amounts. Sterol ester was detected only inA. ramosa. Phosphatide composition was: phosphatidyl choline (15.9–47%), phosphatidyl ethanolamine (23.4–67%), phosphatidyl serine (9.3–17.6%), and phosphatidyl inositol (1.9–11.9%). Diphosphatidyl glycerol occurred in considerable quantity only inH. lanuginosa andM. pulchella var.sulfurea. Phosphatidic acid, detected as a minor component only inM. pulchella var.sulfurea andA. ramosa, does not appear to be a characteristic phosphatide of thermophilic fungi as suggested earlier. The 16∶0, 16∶1, 18∶0, 18∶1, and 18∶2 acids were the main fatty acid components. In addition,A. ramosa contained 18∶3 acid. Total lipids contained an average of 0.93 double bonds per mole of fatty acids, and neutral lipids tend to be more unsaturated than phospholipids.