Separation of neutral lipid,free fatty acid and phospholipid classes by normal phase HPLC

Normal phase high performance liquid chromatography methods are described for the separation of neutral lipid, fatty acid and five phospholipid classes using spectrophotometric detection at 206 nm. Separations were accomplished in less than 10 min for each lipid class. A mobile phase consisting of hexane/methyltertiarybutylether/acetic acid (100∶5∶0.02) proved effective in separating cholesteryl ester and triglyceride with recoveries of 100% for radiolabeled cholesteryl oleate and 98% for radiolabeled triolein. Free fatty acid and cholesterol were separated by two different mobile phases. The first, hexane/methyltertiarybutylether/acetic acid (70∶30∶0.02) effectively separated free fatty acids and cholesterol, but did not separate cholesterol from 1,2-diglyceride. A mobile phase consisting of hexane/isopropanol/acetic acid (100∶2∶0.02) effectively separated free fatty acid, cholesterol, 1,2-diglyceride and 1,3-diglyceride. Recoveries of oleic acid and cholesterol were 100% and 97%, respectively. Five phospholipid classes were separated using methylteriarybutylether/methanol/aqueous ammonium acetate (pH 8.6) (5∶8∶2) as the mobile phase. The recoveries of phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin and lysophosphatidylcholine were each greater than 96%.     

Quantitative determination of isomeric glycerides,free fatty acids and triglycerides by thin layer chromatography-flame ionization detector system

Partial glyceride mixtures, which include 1-monoglyceride, 2-monoglyceride, free fatty acid, 1,2-diglyceride, 1,3-diglyceride and triglyceride, could be separated from each other on a 3% boric-acid-impregnated Chromarod S-II (silica gel sintered quartz rod) with either chloroform/acetone (96∶4, v/v) or chloroform/acetone/acetic acid (100∶1∶1, v/v) as the developing solvent mixtures. The components separated on the boric-acid-impregnated rod were automatically quantitated in a hydrogen flame ionization detector (Iatroscan). The relative responses of 1,2-diglyceride, 1,3-diglyceride, free fatty acid and triglyceride were slightly lower than theoretical responses based on weight percentage, whereas 1-monoglyceride and 2-monoglyceride showed slightly higher responses. These responses were converged within a maximal error of 5–10% (SD). Boric-acid-impregnated rods could be used repeatedly, ca. 5 times without any reconditioning procedure. Part of this investigation was reported at the 2nd JOCS-AOCS joint meeting, San Francisco, May 1979.     

Quantitative analyses of methyl esters of fatty acid geometrical isomers,and of triglycerides differing in unsaturation,by the Iatroscan TLC/FID technique using AgNO3 impregnated rods

The relative FID responses for Iatroscan analyses ofcis andtrans isomers of methyl esters of 18∶1†6, 18∶1†9 and 18∶1†11 on Chromarods-S impregnated with AgNO₃ were studied at load levels ranging from 0.5 to 20 μg, using methyl stearate as internal standard. The FID response correction factors were greater for thecis than for thetrans isomers. The correction factors were relatively constant in the 10–20 μg interval, but increased in the range 0.5–5 μg. Separation of tristearin, triolein, trilinolein and trilinolenin also was obtained on Chromarods-S impregnated with AgNO₃ using a mixture of benzene: chloroform: acetic acid (90∶8∶2) as the solvent system. The relative FID responses for the triolein, trilinolein and trilinolenin were determined at load levels ranging from 0.5 to 14.3 μg using tristearin as an internal standard. The FID response correction factors of these three triglycerides differed significantly for load levels of 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 μg. However, the factors could be considered as being equal in the range 10 to 14.3 μg. Correction factors were not affected by repeated re-use of the same set of Chromarods. Several hundred separations and scans appeared feasible.     

Analysis of north atlantic and baltic fish oil triacylglycerols by high-performance liquid chromatography with a silver ion column

Triacylglycerols from Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus), sandeel (Ammodytes sp.) and Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras) have been fractionated by silver ion high-performance liquid chromatography. An ion exchange column loaded with silver ions was the stationary phase, and a gradient in the mobile phase from 1,2-dichloroethane/dichloromethane (1∶1, v/v) to acetone and then to acetone/acetonitrile (2∶1, v/v) was used to effect the separation with light-scattering (i.e., mass) detection. Fractions were collected via a streamsplitter, and fatty acid methyl esters were prepared by transesterification in the presence of an internal standard for identification and quantification by gas liquid chromatography. Triacylglycerols were separated according to the number of double bonds in the fatty acyl residues. Resolution was excellent at first, when the least unsaturated molecules eluted (trisaturated to dimonoene-monodiene fractions). Base-line resolution could no longer be achieved when molecules containing trienoic or more highly-unsaturated fatty acids began to elute because of overlapping components. Nonetheless, some valuable separations of species containing two saturated and/or monoenoic fatty acids and one polyenoic fatty acid were achieved. Double bond indices (average number of double bonds in each triacylglycerol molecule) were calculated to estimate the separations possible. Fractions containing at least 11–14 double bonds per molecule were obtained.     

Enzymatic preparation of enantiomerically pure sn-2,3-diacylglycerols: A stereoselective ethanolysis approach

Stereoselective ethanolysis of monoacid TAG by immobilized Rhizomucor miehei lipase (RML) was studied for preparation of optically pure sn-2,3-DAG. Trioctanoylglycerol (TO) was used as a model substrate. The enantiomeric purity of the product, sn-2,3-dioctanoylglycerol (sn-2,3-DO), was very high (percent enantiomeric excess >99%) when an excess of ethanol was used. The result indicated that RML was highly stereoselective toward the sn-1 position of TO under conditions of excess ethanol. The stereoselectivity of RML depended on the amount of ethanol. The larger the amount of ethanol was, the higher the stereoselectivity became. After optimizing the parameters such as reactant molar ratio, water content, and temperature, (ethanol/TO molar ratio =31∶1 and water content =7.5 wt% of the reactants at 25°C), optically pure sn-2,3-DO was obtained at 61.1 mol% in the glyceride fraction in 20 min. The above conditions were further applied for ethanolysis of monoacid TAG with different acyl groups such as tridecanoylglycerol (C10∶0), tridodecanoylglycerol (C12∶0), tritetradecanoylglycerol (C14∶0) and trioctadecenoylglycerol [triolein, (C18∶1)]. The yields and enantiomeric purities of 1,2(2,3)-DAG were dramatically reduced when TAG with FA longer than decanoic acid were used.     

Polyunsaturated fatty glyceride syntheses by microbial lipases

The degree of glyceride syntheses by lipase TOYO (Chromobacterium viscosum) and lipase OF (Candida cylindracea) using individual free fatty acids C_18∶1, C_18∶2, C_18∶3, C_18∶4, C_20∶4, C_20∶5 and C_22∶6 were compared. Lipase TOYO incorporated each of the fatty acids into glycerol at levels of greater than 89%. Lipase OF incorporated most of the fatty acids at levels above 70% (docosahexaenoic acid incorporation was 63%). It was concluded that these two lipases are feasible for producing glycerides from unsaturated fatty acids.     

Concentration of docosahexaenoic acid in glyceride by hydrolysis of fish oil withcandida cylindracea lipase

In an attempt to concentrate the content of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in a glyceride mixture containing triglyceride, diglyceride and monoglyceride, fish oil was hydrolyzed with six kinds of microbial lipase. After the hydrolysis, free fatty acid was removed and fatty acid components of the glyceride mixtures were analyzed. When the hydrolysis withCandida cylindracea lipase was 70% complete, the DHA content in the glyceride mixture was three times more than that in the original fish oil. The EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) content became almost 70% of the original fish oil. Hydrolysis with other lipases did not result in an increase in the DHA content in the glyceride mixtures. Hydrolysis of DHA-rich tuna oil (DHA content is about 25%) withCandida cylindracea lipase resulted in 53% DHA in the glyceride mixture. The EPA content, however, remained close to that of the original tuna oil. In this report, the acyl chain specificity of lipases is evaluated in terms of hydrolysis resistant value (HRV). HRV is the ratio between the DHA contents in the glyceride mixture of hydrolyzed oil and original oil. HRV clearly indicates differences in hydrolysis between DHA and other fatty acids (e.g., saturated and monoenoic acids).     

Separation of the enantiomers of 1-alkyl-2-acyl-rac-glycerol and of 1-alkyl-3-acyl-rac-glycerol by high performance liquid chromatography on a chiral column

High performance liquid chromatographic separations of two enantiomeric pairs of 1-alkyl-2-acyl-rac-glycerol (1-alkyl-2-acyl- and 3-alkyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerols) and 1-alkyl-3-acyl-rac-glycerol (1-alkyl-3-acyl- and 3-alkyl-1-acyl-sn-glycerols) as 3,5-dinitrophenylurethanes (3,5-DNPUs) were carried out on a chiral stationary phase, N-(R)-1-(α-naphthyl)ethylaminocarbonyl-(S)-valine chemically bonded to γ-aminopropyl silanized silica (Sumipax OA-4100). Good separation of the enantiomers of 1-hexadecyl-2-hexadecanoyl-rac-glycerol was easily achieved within 10 min using hexane/ethylene dichloride/ethanol (80∶20∶1, v/v/v) as a mobile phase. Separation of the enantiomers of 1-hexadecyl-3-hexadecanoyl-rac-glycerol was more difficult and required about 80 min to achieve satisfactory peak resolution (0.8) using hexane/ethylene dichloride/ethanol (250∶20∶1, v/v/v) as a mobile phase. Presented at the American Oil Chemists' Society 79th Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ, May, 1988.     

Separation and quantitation of phospholipids in animal tissues by latroscan TLC/FID

A procedure has been developed to separate and quantitate phospholipids, including phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylserine, from animal tissues by means of the Iatroscan TLC/FID technique. The method is based on the use of 0.01 M oxalic acid impregnated Chromarods-SII and stepwise resolution of the phospholipids in the presence of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho (N,N-dimethylethanolamine) as internal standard. To remove the neutral lipids, the rods are initially developed in a nonpolar solvent mixture followed by partial scanning. Next, the rods are impregnated with oxalic acid, developed twice in CHCl₃/CH₃OH/CH₃COOH/HCOOH/H₂O (80∶35∶2∶1∶3, v/v/v/v/v) and partially scanned for measuring lysophosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin and phosphatidylcholine. The subsequent step involves double development in CHCl₃/CH₃OH/30% NH₄OH (60∶35∶0.9, v/v/v) to resolve cardiolipin, internal standard, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidic acid. For each phospholipid a linear calibration curve with a highly significant correlation coefficient was obtained. However, the calibration lines extrapolated to negative intercepts on the ordinate, indicating declining sensitivity at low phospholipid loads.     

Lipase-catalyzed fractionation of conjugated linoleic acid isomers

The abilities of lipases produced by the fungus Geotrichum candidum to selectively fractionate mixtures of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers during esterification of mixed CLA free fatty acids and during hydrolysis of mixed CLA methyl esters were examined. The enzymes were highly selective for cis-9,trans-11–18∶2. A commercial CLA methyl ester preparation, containing at least 12 species representing four positional CLA isomers, was incubated in aqueous solution with either a commercial G. candidum lipase preparation (Amano GC-4) or lipase produced from a cloned high-selectivity G. candidum lipase B gene. In both instances selective hydrolysis of the cis-9,trans-11–18∶2 methyl ester occurred, with negligible hydrolysis of other CLA isomers. The content of cis-9,trans-11–18∶2 in the resulting free fatty acid fraction was between 94 (lipase B reaction) and 77% (GC-4 reaction). The commercial CLA mixture contained only trace amounts of trans-9,cis-11–18∶2, and there was no evidence that this isomer was hydrolyzed by the enzyme. Analogous results were obtained with these enzymes in the esterification in organic solvent of a commercial preparation of CLA free fatty acids containing at least 12 CLA isomers. In this case, G. candidum lipase B generated a methyl ester fraction that contained >98% cis-9,trans-11–18∶2. Geotrichum candidum lipases B and GC-4 also demonstrated high selectivity in the esterification of CLA with ethanol, generating ethyl ester fractions containing 96 and 80%, respectively, of the cis-9,trans-11 isomer. In a second set of experiments, CLA synthesized from pure linoleic acid, composed essentially of two isomers, cis-9,trans-11 and trans-10,cis-12, was utilized. This was subjected to esterification with octanol in an aqueous reaction system using Amano GC-4 lipase as catalyst. The resulting ester fraction contained up to 97% of the cis-9,trans-11 isomer. After adjustment of the reaction conditions, a concentration of 85% trans-10,cis-12–18∶2 could be obtained in the unreacted free fatty acid fraction. These lipase-catalyzed reactions provide a means for the preparative-scale production of high-purity cis-9,trans-11–18∶2, and a corresponding CLA fraction depleted of this isomer.     

Lipase activity and fatty acid typoselectivities of plant extracts in hydrolysis and interesterification

Lipase fatty acid typoselectivities of Euphorbia characias latex and commercially available crude preparation of bromelain were determined in the hydrolysis of homogeneous triacylglycerols (TAG) and natural TAG mixtures. Their activities were compared to a commercially available crude preparation of papain. Under optimal lipolysis conditions at pH 8.0 and 10 min of incubation time, maximal activities were observed at 45, 55, and 50°C, respectively, for E. characias latex, crude bromelain, and crude papain. Commercially available crude preparations of bromelain exhibited very poor hydrolysis activity. Latex from E. characias, which contained 340 mg of dried material per milliliter of fresh latex, exhibited a high lipase activity and a short-chain fatty acid preference in the hydrolysis of homogeneous TAG. For all substrates, it showed a better activity than crude papain. Lipase fatty acid typoselectivities of crude bromelain and crude papain also were studied in interesterification reactions of tributyrin with a series of homogeneous TAG. Experiments showed that crude bromelain [water activity (A _w )∶ 0.21] had no activity in interesterification. Regarding reactions with crude papain (A _w ∶ 0.55), yields of newly formed TAG decreased with increasing chain length of TAG, except for the reaction with trimargarin. For interesterification of tributyrin with unsaturated TAG, triolein reacted faster than polyunsaturated TAG. During these interesterification reactions, the proportion of new TAG with two butyroyl residues was higher than new TAG with only one butyroyl residue. This phenomenon was more pronounced for reactions with long-chain TAG.     

Fatty acid and positional selectivities of gastric lipase from premature human infants:in vitro studies

Gastric lipase activity in aspirates from premature human infants was tested for fatty acid and positional selectivity using racemic diacid triacylglycerols (TG) as substrates. The resulting free fatty acids and monoacylglycerols (MG) were recovered and analyzed. Octanoic acid (8∶0) and decanoic acid (10∶0) were hydrolyzed with a preference of 61.5∶1 and 2.4∶1 compared to palmitic acid (16∶0) fromrac-16∶0–8∶8∶0 andrac-16∶0–10∶0–10∶0, respectively. The ratio of lauric acid (12∶0) to oleic acid (18∶1) hydrolyzed fromrac-18∶1–12∶0 was 13∶1. Myristic acid (14∶0), 18∶1 and linoleic acid (18∶2) were released at similar rates. These data and the composition of the MG suggest that,in vitro, the lipase is selective for shorter chain fatty acids and for fatty acids on the primary positions of the TG backbone.     

High performance liquid chromatographic analysis of 1-alkyl-2-acyl- and 1-alkyl-3-acyl-sn-glycerols

A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method is described for separation and quantitation of 1-alkyl-3-acyl- and 1-alkyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol, products of the detritylation reaction of 1-alkyl-2-acyl-3-trityl-sn-glycerol. The alkyl glycerides were separated on a 25 cm×4.6 mm ID column packed with ∼5–6 μm silica and eluted isocratically with isooctane/isopropanol (98∶2, v/v) as mobile phase. The good separation and linear refractive index (RI) detector responses using cholesterol as an internal standard indicated the applicability of the method not only for the quantitative determination of the alkylglycerols but also for their semipreparative isolation. This HPLC method shows excellent reproducibility and accuracy and is applicable to other types of glycerides such as mono- and diacylglycerols. Presented in part at the AOCS annual meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii, May 1986.     

Production of triglycerides enriched in long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from fish oil

Processes that combine enzymic and physical techniques have been studied for concentrating and separating eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from fish oil.Candida rugosa lipase was used in hydrolysis reactions to concentrate these acids in the glyceride fraction. By controlling the degree of hydrolysis, two products have been obtained, one enriched in total n-3(∼50%), the other enriched in DHA and depleted in EPA (DHA∼40%, EPA∼7%). The glyceride fraction from these reactions was recovered by evaporation and converted back to triglycerides by partial enzymic hydrolysis, followed by enzymic esterification. Both reactions were carried out withRhizomucor miehei lipase. DHA-depleted free fatty acids from aC. rugosa hydrolysis were fractionated to increase the EPA level (∼30%) and re-esterified to triglycerides by reaction with glycerol andR. miehei.     

Separation of bile acid methyl esters by high-performance liquid chromatography

Conjugated bile acids, namely glyco- and tauro-3α,6α-dihydroxy-5β-cholanoic acid (hyodeoxycholic acid), 3α,7α-dihydroxy-5β-cholanoic acid (chenodeoxycholic acid), 3α,6α,7α-trihydroxy-5β-cholanoic acid (hyocholic acid) and 3α-hydroxy-6-oxo-5β-cholanoic acid (6-keto-litocholic acid) were isolated from pig bile, and subsequently transformed into the corresponding methyl esters. Separation of the methyl esters of the isolated bile acids by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was accomplished on a ZORBAX-CN column (Dupont, Boston, MA) withn-hexane/2-propanol/methylene chloride (89∶6∶5, by vol) as the mobile phase containing traces (≈1%) of amyl alcohol and water as moderators. HPLC analysis of the methyl esters also showed the presence of methyl 3α-hydroxy-6-oxo-5α-cholanoate, which was probably produced in the course of alkaline hydrolysis of the conjugated bile acids.     

Stereospecific analysis of triacylglycerols rich in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids

Six oils of marine, algal, and microbial origin were analyzed for stereospecific distribution of component fatty acids. The general procedure involved preparation ofsn-1,2-(2,3)-diacylglycerols by partial deacylation with ethylmagnesium bromide or pancreatic lipase, separation of X-1,3- andsn-1,2(2,3)-diacylglycerols by borate thin-layer chromatography, resolution of thesn-1,2- andsn-2,3-enantiomers by chiral phase high-performance liquid chromatography following preparation of dinitrophenylurethane derivatives, and determination of the fatty acid composition by gas chromatography. Unexpected complications arose during a stereospecific analysis of triacylglycerols containing over 33% of either 20∶4 or 22∶6 fatty acids. Thesn-1,2(2,3)-diacylglycerols made up of two long-chain polyunsaturated acids migrated with the X-1,3-diacylglycerols and required separate chiral phase resolution. Furthermore, the enzymatic method yieldedsn-1,2(2,3)-diacylglycerols, overrepresenting the polyenoic species due to their relative resistance to lipolysis, but prolonged digestion yielded correct composition for the 2-monoacylglycerols. The final positional distribution of the fatty acids was established by pooling and normalizing the data from subfractions obtained by norman- and chiral-phase separation of diacylglycerols. The molecular species of X-1,3-,sn-1,2- andsn-2,3-diacylglycerol dinitrophenylurethanes were identified by chiral-phase liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization, which demonstrated a preferential association of the paired long-chain acids with thesn-1,2- andsn-2,3-diacylglycerol isomers.     

Chromatographic separation of glucopyranosyl sinapate from canola meal

The compound 1-O-β-D glucopyranosyl sinapate (GPS), a phenolic glycoside, was separated from ethanolic extracts of defatted canola meal by a two-step chromatographic method. The first step involved Sephadex LH-20 chromatography with methanol as the eluting solvent. The solvent from the fraction containing GPS was evaporated, and glucopyranosyl sinapate was subsequently separated by a semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography method with an RP-18 column and a mobile phase consisting of water/acetonitrile/acetic acid (88∶10∶2, vol/vol/vol).     

Rapid analysis of fatty acids in plasma lipids

A rapid and convenient procedure for the quantitative determination of the fatty acid composition of plasma lipids is described. Human plasma was applied directly to the preadsorbent zones of thin-layer silica gel plates with added antioxidant, internal standards and carriers. The thin-layer chromatography (TLC) plates were partially developed with methanol followed by chloroform/methanol (1∶1, v/v), and then they were fully developed in hexane/diethyl ether/acetic acid (80∶20∶1, v/v/v) to separate the major classes of lipids. Silica gel from regions containing the separated lipids was scraped into screw-capped tubes and treated with boron trifluoride-methanol prior to gas chromatography. The method of direct application to TLC plates gave yields and compositions of fatty acids very similar to the method of applying extracted plasma lipids. This relatively simple method is suitable for analyzing the fatty acids in plasma lipids from a 50 microliter finger-tip blood samples from an individual, and it may be useful in wide-scale screening of different individuals to estimate the relative amounts of ingested polyunsaturated fatty acids. Pfizer Biomedical Research Awardee.     

Specificity of polyunsaturated fatty acid release from rat brain synaptosomes

Release of specific polyunsaturated fatty acids from cell membranes may have a significant implication in biological function, considering the involvement of various fatty acids in cell signal transduction. In the present study, release of polyunsaturated fatty acids from rat brain synaptosomes by endogeneous synaptosomal lipase activity was examined in comparison to that by cobra venom phospholipase A₂ (Naja naja naja). Cobra venom phospholipase A₂ (Naja naja naja) preferentially hydrolyzed docosahexaenoic acid (22∶6n−3) from both synaptosomes and lipid muxtures containing similar classes of lipids commonly found in the brain. Arachidonic acid (20∶4n−6) and oleic acid (18∶1n−9) were also hydrolyzed; however, monoene species was hydrolyzed slower than were polyenoic species in synaptosomes. Phosphatidylethanolamine was the most preferred phospholipid class for release of 22∶6n−3 fatty acid from both lipid mixtures and synaptosomes. In contrast to hydrolysis by cobra venom phospholipase A₂, endogenous synaptosomal lipase activity preferentially hydrolyzed 20∶4−6 from rat brain synaptosomes, despite the high abundance of 22∶6n−3 in synaptosomal membranes. Preferential release of 20∶4n−6 was observed over a wide range of pH values and calcium concentrations. Synaptosomal 22∶6 species appeared to be resistant to hydrolysis even after stimulation with various agents such as phorbolmyristate, suggesting that physiological importance of 22∶6−3 in neuronal membranes may not be as the release fatty acid.     

Enrichment of γ-linolenic acid from evening primrose oil and borage oilvia lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis

Lipase-catalyzed selective partial hydrolysis of evening primrose (Oenothera biennis L.) seed oil and borage (Borago officinalis L.) seed oil led to an increase in the level of γ-linolenic acid (GLA; 18∶3n−6) in the unhydrolyzed acylglycerols. Thus, in evening primrose oil, the GLA level could be raised from 9.4% in the starting material to 46.5% in the unhydrolyzed acylglycerols by means of a lipase fromCandida cylindracea. Selective hydrolysis of borage oil with Pancreatin led to an increase in the GLA content from 20.4% in the oil to 33.5% in the unhydrolyzed acylglycerols. Partial hydrolysis of borage oil with lipase fromC. cylindracea raised the GLA content of the acylglycerols to 47.8%.