Molecular species composition of glycerophospholipids from white matter of human brain

The molecular species composition of the major glycerophospholipids from white matter of human brain were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography of the 3,5-dinitrobenzoyl derivatives of the corresponding diradylglycerols. In phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylserine (PS), molecular species containing only saturated fatty acids (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) comprised 85.7 and 82.4% of the respective totals, with 18∶0/18∶1 predominant in PS and 16∶0/18∶1 in PC. These molecular species were also abundant in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), but in this phospholipid species containing polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), largely 18∶0/22∶6n−3 and 18∶0/20∶4n−6, accounted for over half the total; 18∶1/18∶1 was also abundant in PE. In contrast, 1-O-alk-1′-enyl-2-acylsn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (GPE) had much more SFA- and MUFA-containing species, predominantly 16∶0a/18∶1, 18∶0a/18∶1 and 18∶1a/18∶1, with low amounts of species containing 20∶4n−6 and 22∶6n−3. In alkenylacyl GPE, 22∶4n−6 was the major PUFA and 16∶0a/22∶4n−6 and 18∶1a/22∶4n−6 the main PUFA-containing species. There was six times more 22∶6n−3, twice as much 20∶4n−6 and half the amount of 22∶4n−6 in PE as compared to alkenylacyl GPE. Molecular species are abbreviated as follows:e.g., 16∶0/18∶1 PE is 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine; the corresponding alkenylacyl species, 1-O-hexadec-1′-enyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine is 16∶0a/18∶1.     

Fatty acid composition of late embryonic and early postnatal rat brain

The fatty acid (FA) composition and distribution in a variety of phospholipids (PL) and neutral lipids (NL) at two discrete stages during the embryonic rat brain development were investigated. Over 96% of the FA were acylated into fetal brain PL at embryonic day 17 after the peak of neuronal proliferation and at embryonic day 20, one day prior to delivery. Phosphatidylcholine constituted approximately 60% of the total PL pool, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) 30%, phosphatidylserine (PS) 6%, and phosphatidylinositol (PI) 4%. The diacylglycerols and triacylglycerols constituted 1–2% of the fetal brain lipids. α-Linolenic acid (18∶3n−3) and linoleic acid (18∶2n−6) were found in very low amounts in all fetal brain PL and NL. The percentage of the n−6 polyunsaturated FA, consisting of arachidonic acid (AA), 22∶4n−6 and 22∶5n−6, remained unchanged in all the fractions, except in Pl, in which the proportion of AA increased. The concentration of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) increased with age in all the fractions, with the bulk of accumulation accounted for by its increase in PE and, to a lesser extent, in PS. This finding suggests a “DHA accretion spurt” during the last three days of pregnancy.     

Fatty acid composition of phospholipids in different regions of developing human fetal brain

The fatty acid composition of total phospholipids in different regions, viz., cerebrum, cerebellum and medulla oblongata, of developing human fetal brain was studied. All the brains analyzed in the present investigations were obtained from fetuses whose mothers belonged to the poor socioeconomic section of the population. Palmitic, oleic and stearic acids were found to be the dominant fatty acids, and the pattern was similar in all regions of the brain studied between the ages of 22 and 35 weeks. However at birth there appeared to be an increase in polyenoic acids at the expense of lower chain fatty acids, and these changes were of relatively higher magnitude in the cerebellum than in other regions studied. These changes, in terms of increase in polyunsaturated fatty acids near full term, coincided well with the already observed timing of an overall growth spurt of the brain a few weeks preceding birth.     

Fatty acid composition of brain phospholipids in aging and in Alzheimer’s disease

The two major phospholipid classes, namely, phosphatidylethanolamines (PE) and phosphatidylcholines (PC), were studied in four different regions of human brain,i.e., in frontal gray matter, frontal white matter, hippocampus and in pons. The fatty acid (FA) compositions of these phospholipids were found to be specific for the different regions. PC contains mostly saturated and 18∶1 FA, while PE is rich in polyunsaturated FA. Aging has no influence on the FA compositions, while in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) PE is modified in all four regions, particularly in frontal gray matter and in hippocampus. The abundance of the major monounsaturated FA of PE, 18∶1, is not significantly altered in Alzheimer’s disease, but there is a substantial increase in the relative amounts of the saturated components 14∶0, 16∶0 and 18∶0. This is paralleled by a decrease in the polyunsaturated FA 20∶4, 22∶4 and 22∶6. It is not clear whether the changes observed are specific for AD. Changes in saturated/polyunsaturated FA ratio are likely to influence cellular function, which in turn may cause certain neural deficiencies. The findings do not support the hypothesis that AD reflects an accelerated aging process.     

Fatty acid composition ofChoanephora curubitarum

Crude lipid extracts were prepared fromChoanephora cucurbitarum which had been grown on a glucose-glutamie acid medium for periods up to 12 days. Methanolysis of the extracts and gas chromatography of the esters revealed that palmitate accumulated continuously at a rate 7-fold that of palmitoleate. Oleate accumulation followed a different pattern at a rate nearly 6-fold that of stearate. The esters included linoleate and four others which were not identified. Journal Paper No. 1790, Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station.     

Fatty acid composition of buckwheat seed

The embryo, endosperm, testa and pericarp from seeds of three buckwheat species were analyzed for total lipid content and fatty acid composition. The average lipid content of these tissues was 8.2%, 0.4%, 2.0% and 0.5%, respectively. Eighteen fatty acids were tentatively identified in buckwheat oil. The following eight constituted an average of more than 93% of the total acids: palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, arachidic, behenic and lignoceric acids. The embryo tissue of cultivated and Tartary buckwheats contained the fewest minor acids with an average of 95% of the acids containing either 16 or 18 carbons. The pericarp, or hull, had a unique composition with higher levels of saturated acids, odd carbon acids and acids of 20 or more carbons than any other tissues. The compositions of the testa and endorsperm were intermediate.     

Fatty acid composition of adultSchistosoma mansoni

The fatty acid composition of triglyceride and total phospholipid fractions of adultSchistosoma mansoni has been examined. Both triglyceride and phospholipid contained fatty acids varying in chain length from 12 through 24 carbons; trace amounts of shorter chain components were found in the triglyceride fraction. A docosahexaenoic acid in the triglyceride fraction represented the highest degree of unsaturation encountered. Branched chain fatty acids of 16 and 18 carbons were found in both phospholipid and triglyceride. Examination of fatty acids from fluke total lipid revealed the presence of small amounts of odd numbered carbon fatty acids varying in chain length from 13 through 23 carbons.     

Fatty acid composition ofcuphea seed oils

Nineteen species of 10 taxonomic sections ofCuphea were analyzed for fatty acid composition of the seed oils. Two sections of the genus,Trispermum andPseudocircaea, previously unreported, are included. Lauric acid is the major component of the seed oil in seven of the species surveyed; capric andmyristic each predominate in five. Linolenic acid, previously thought to be only a trace component ofCuphea seed oils, is the major constituent of two species. Two others are rich in linoleic acid, another minor component of mostCupbea oils.     

Fatty acid composition of tamarind kernel oil

The fatty acid composition (% by wt) of Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) kernel oil, as determined by gas liquid chromatography was: trace lauric acid, tracte myristic acid, 14.8% palmitic acid, 5.9% stearic acid, 27.0% oleic acid, 7.5% linoleic acid, 5.6% linolenic acid, 4.5% arachidic acid, 12.2% behenic acid, and 22.3% lignoceric acid.     

Fatty acid composition of lipids fromSaccharomyces fragilis

Lipids extracted fromSaccharomyces fragilis, grown in whey and deproteinized whey, were similar in amount and fatty acid composition. On a dry weight basis, the yeasts contained 3.0% total lipid and 0.5% saponifiable lipid. The fatty acids identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were 2.5% C14∶0, 19.2% C16∶0, 11.9% C16∶1, 1.28% C16∶2, 3.4% C18∶0, 27.0% C18∶1, 25.1% C18∶2, and 9.6% C18∶3 with less than 1% of the following fatty acids present: C10∶0, C12∶0, C14∶1, C15∶0, and C17∶0.     

Fatty acid composition of monkey milk lipids

Milk from 6 species of monkeys contained 2.2–8.5% total lipids, and 11.5–16.5% total solids. The fatty acid composition of the milks, as determined by an improved gas liquid chromatographic techniques, was generally similar among the six species. The predominant fatty acids (by wt) were capric (7.5–14.6%), palmitic (19.4–23.3%), oleic (22.4–30.3%), and linoleic (13.6–15.2%). Small amounts of butyric (0.1–1.2%) and caproic (0.5–0.8%) acids were present in all samples. The averaged data were compared with the fatty acid compositions of primate and cow milks. Milks of the nonhuman primates contained less myristic, but more caprylic and capric acids, than did human or cows' milk. Data taken from thesis of S. Hardjo submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Masters' degree in food science.     

Fatty acid composition of baboon milk lipids

The predominant fatty acids of mature baboon milk were shown by gas-liquid chromatography to be (by weight) palmitic (16%), oleic (23%), and linoleic (38%) acids. The high proportion of linoleic acid was attributed to the corn oil in the diet. Less myristic acid (1.3%), but more caprylic (5%) and capric (8%) acids, were present in baboon milk than in human milk. The proportions of these short-chain fatty acids were highest during early lactation.     

Docosahexaenoic acid therapy in docosahexaenoic acid-deficient patients with disorders of peroxisomal biogenesis

A patient with classic Zellweger syndrome was treated with docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester (DHA-EE) for three months. Five other patients with Zellweger variants (four of them less than one-year-old and a five-year-old) were treated with DHA-EE until normalization of the DHA levels in erythrocytes. When arachidonic acid (AA) concentration decreased, AA was added to the diet. Thereafter, a combined treatment with DHA plus AA followed, in a variable proportion that allowed the high levels of DHA in erythrocytes to be maintained. In the patient with Zellweger syndrome, DHA therapy produced an increase in plasmalogen and a decrease in 26:0 and 26:1. No clear clinical improvement could be detected in this patient during the short period of treatment with DHA-EE. The most consistent clinical effect produced by DHA therapy in the other patients with disorders of peroxisomal biogenesis was visual improvement, even in those patients that were virtually blind before the treatment. In general, the developmental curve began to accelerate. The infants became more alert, acquired better visual and social contact and muscular tone improved, with the beginning of good head control. The liver tests tended to normalize and some patients showed a reduction of hepatomegaly. All these favorable changes occurred when the patients were taking the DHA-EE alone. In some of the patients, muscular tone seemed to improve further after introducing AA supplements. From the biochemical point of view, the plasmalogen levels increased in most cases in erythrocytes, and the two ratios 26:0/22:0 and 26:1/22:0 decreased in plasma. In some patients, there was a tendency for 26:1 to increase in plasma and for 18:0 plasmalogen to decrease in erythrocytes when AA was introduced in the diet. The significance of these findings remains to be elucidated, but they stress the importance of strict monitoring and control of the polyunsaturated fatty acid status during DHA therapy.     

Fatty acid composition of serum lipids in fasting ponies

Alterations in the fatty acid distribution of total lipid extracts and 4 of the major lipid subclasses of serum in ponies fasted overnight and for 4 and 7 days were determined. Although increases in 16:0, 16:1, and 18:3 omega 3 were observed, decreased amounts of 18:0 and 18:2 omega 6 combined to cause no significant change in the saturated to unsaturated fatty acid ratio in the total extracts. Phospholipid became somewhat preferentially enriched in saturated fatty acids due to a decrease in 18:1, although this response was variable. The free fatty acid and triglyceride fractions both showed increases in relative amounts of 18:3 omega 3 and a decrease in 18:0 and a concomitant change in the saturated to unsaturated fatty acid ratio. This endogenous alteration was most likely due to the mobilization of an increased proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids from tissue sites with their subsequent incorporation into triglyceride by the liver. It probably reflects the type of forage diet on which the animals had been maintained prior to the study. The fatty acid composition of the cholesteryl ester fractions was unchanged during fasting but contained appreciable amounts of the 18:2 omega 6 fatty acid.     

Fatty acid and molecular species composition of rat brain phosphatidylcholine and-ethanolamine from birth to weaning

The fatty acid composition of diacyl phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine from the brain of rats 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 21 days old were determined. In phosphatidylcholine, the relative amounts of stearic and oleic acid increased from 25% to 33% while the relative amounts of myristic, palmitic, and palmitoleic decreased from 65% to 50% during this time period. The same pattern was seen in phosphatidylethanolamine with stearic and oleic increasing from 38% to 49% and the shorter chain acids decreasing from 17% to 13%. The polyunsaturated fatty content of phosphatidylcholine was approximately 10% and increased slightly during the first 3 weeks, while the polyunsaturated content of phosphatidylethanolamine decreased from 44% to 37%. The molecular species composition of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine was determined in brains of rats 3, 6, and 9 days old. The relative amounts of the molecular species remained nearly constant during this time period with phosphatidylcholine containing 35% saturated, 40% monoenoic, 6% dienoic, 11% tetraenoic, 2% pentaenoic, and 5% hexaenoic. Phosphatidylethanolamine contained 1% saturated, 8% monoenoic, 3% dienoic, 40% tetraenoic, 9% pentaenoic, and 37% hexaenoic species. Analysis of the fatty acid composition of the molecular species reveals that in phosphatidylcholine the polyunsaturated fatty acids 20∶4 and 22∶6 are predominately paired with 16∶0, while in the phosphatidylethanolamine these two unsaturated fatty acids are paired with 18∶0. Furthermore, dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine accounts for approximately 25% of the total molecular species of that lipid.     

Fatty acid composition of polar lipids in goats' milk

Silicic acid column chromatography was used to separate the polar lipids of goats' milk into glycolipid, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine plus phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylcholine, and sphingomyelin fractions. Each fraction was purified by column chromatography and its fatty acid profile determined by gas liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The glycerophospholipids each contained 18∶1 as the predominant fatty acid (∼45%). The sphingolipids contained a high percentage of long-chain saturated fatty acids (C₂₂ to C₂₄>45%); the glycolipid fraction also contained ca. 2% 2-hydroxy fatty acids. The data represent a comprehensive cross-sectional study of the major polar lipids found in goats' milks.     

Fatty acid composition in seed oils of some onagraceae

The seeds ofOenothera picensis, O. indecora, Ludwigia longifolia andL. peruviana (Onagraceae) contained 18.3, 16.4, 13.9 and 10.1% oil, respectively. Chromatographic analyses showed high levels of linoleic acid (>71.5%) in the seed oils.     

Fatty acid composition of several varieties of soybeans

Summary Fatty acid composition of soybean oil of 18 currently important varieties from 43 locations in 16 states of the United States ranged from about 5% to 11% in linolenic, 43% to 56% in linoleic, 15% to 33% in oleic, and 11% to 26% in saturated acids. Oil of all 18 varieties had wide ranges in composition at different locations in two crop years. Within each group varieties tended to maintain the same relative order of fatty acid compositions of oil at all locations in the two years of this study. Publication No. 326 of the U. S. Regional Soybean Laboratory, Urbana, Ill.     

Fatty acid composition of Iranian citrus seed oils

Fatty acid compositions of seed oils from eight Iranian citrus fruits were determined. The ranges of values for major fatty acids were 21.8–29.4% palmitic, 3.1–7.60% stearic, 0.3–1.3% palmitoleic, 23.5–32.3% oleic, 33.5–39.8% linoleic, and 3.1–7.6% linolenic. Low amounts (up to 0.1%) of myristic and arachidic acids and traces of a few unidentified ones constituted minor fatty acids.