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.     

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.     

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.     

Liver lipids during development

The fatty acid composition of the major liver microsomal phospholipids has been studied during pre- and postnatal development of the rabbit. The fatty acid composition of the total lipids, phosphatidyl choline, and phosphatidyl ethanolamine from animals −6, −3, 0, +3, +6, +9, +16, and +112 days of age was determined. Fatty acid composition is similar in phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine for oleic acid at +3, +6, +9, and +16 day old animals; palmitoleic acid at +9 day old animals and linoleic acid at −6, −3, and 0 day old animals. Palmitoleic acid demonstrated a uniform decrease during early development in the total lipids and in both phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine; however, in the 112 day animal, the amount was just slightly lower than that observed for the earliest prenatal animal studied. Oleic acid decreased considerably during early postnatal development in the total lipids, phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine, but an increase in the 112 day animal was observed. Linoleic acid fluctuated considerably throughout postnatal development in the total lipids as well as in the two major phosphatides. Lecithin biosynthesis has been studied by two pathways during development of rabbit liver from −6 days to +110 days. The two pathways of lecithin biosynthesis were evaluated by assaying the activities of the liver enzymes choline phosphotransferase and phosphatidylmethyltransferase at different time intervals during development. The greater enzymatic activity was observed in the cholinephosphotransferase during development.     

Lipids ofKlebsiella pneumoniae: The presence of phosphatidyl choline in succinate-grown cells

The carbon and energy source for aerobically grown cultures ofKlebsiella penumoniae profoundly influenced the total lipid content and phosphatide composition. Glucose-grown cells contained 13% lipid, 56% of which was phospholipids. Succinate-grow cells contained 8% lipid, 66% of which was phospholipids. The predominant phosphatides of glucose-grown cells were phosphatidyl ethanolamine, 82%; phosphatidyl glycerol, 4.5%; phosphatidic acid, 5%; cardiolipin, 6.5%; phosphatidyl serine; and trace amounts of unidentified phosphatides. Phosphatides of succinate-grown cells were phosphatidyl ethanolamine, 38%; diphosphatidyl glycerol, 14%; phosphatidyl glycerol, 13%; phosphatidyl choline, 14.5%; phosphatidyl serine, 6%; phosphatidic acid, 4%; and 10% unknown lipids. No trace of phosphatidyl choline was found in glucose-grown cells. Paper 75-11-170 of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station.     

Liver phospholipids of rats fed a choline-deficient diet supplemented with choline or methionine

The low amount of arachidonic acid in the total phospholipids in the liver of rats fed a standard type of choline-deficient diet was corrected by either choline or methionine, which also increased food intake. Choline increased the content of this fatty acid in the phosphatidyl ethanolamine but not in the phosphatidyl choline. Methionine increased both the amount of phosphatidyl choline and its content of arachidonic acid.     

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.     

Postnatal changes in the phospholipid composition of livers from young lambs

The total lipids were extracted from the livers of newborn lambs, from the livers of lambs during the first week after birth and from the livers of adult sheep. After separation from the nonphospholipids on columns of silicic acid the phospholipids were analyzed by thin layer chromatography and quantitative gas liquid chromatography. In all samples phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine together accounted for about 80% of the total liver phospholipids. The phosphatidyl choline-phosphatidyl ethanolamine ratio in the livers of the newborn lambs was markedly less than the ratio in the livers of the adult sheep. Moreover there was a pronounced increase in the phosphatidyl cholinephosphatidyl ethanolamine ratio in the livers of the lambs during the first week after birth. In the liver phospholipids of the lambs the concentration of phosphatidyl inositol was lower and the concentrations of phosphatidyl serine and sphingomyelin were greater than the corresponding concentrations in the liver phospholipids of the adult sheep. It is proposed that the change in the phosphatidyl choline-phosphatidyl ethanolamine ratio in the livers of the lambs during the first week after birth is due, at least in part, to the marked change that occurs in the linoleic acid-arachidonic acid ratio in the tissues of the lamb during this period.     

Preparation of acylglycerols and phospholipids with the aid of lipolytic enzymes

Methods are discussed for the synthesis of some acylglycerols and phospholipids using lipolytic enzymes alone or in combination with chemical procedures. The syntheses are limited to those for which the enzymes are commercially available. The compounds mentioned are tri-, di-, and monoacylglycerols, phosphatidyl choline and ethanolamine, an alkyl-acyl-phosphatidyl ethanolamine, lysoacyl-phospholipids, phosphatidyl glycerol, sphingomyelin, and sphingosine.     

The Nature of Cottonseed Phospholipids

Degumming of crude cottonseed oil yielded 1% of phospholipids. Repeated acetone precipitations still left 18% of triglycerides and 3.6% of gossypol. The UV-spectrum of the total phospholipids showed a λ_max at 391 mμ which was characteristic of the bound form of gossypol, possibly with the free amino group of the phosphatidyl ethanolamine present. The phospholipids were separated into a number of fractions by silicic acid column chromatography. Gossypol occurred in free form in the eluted fractions indicating cleavage during column chromatography. Analysis of the fractions by thinlayer chromatography as such and after different types of hydrolysis revealed the composition of the total phospholipids to be: phosphatidyl ethanolamine 22%, inositol phospholipids 37%, phosphatidyl choline 33% and unidentified 8%.     

Characterization of Amaranthus hybridus Phospholipids

The seeds of Amaranthus hybridus contain about 0.66 percent phospholipids. Silica gel column chromatography and analysis of eluates as such and after acid hydrolysis using paper and thin layer chromatographic techniques have shown that the major constituents of A. hybridus seed phospholipids are phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl inositol. The other two identified components present in small amount are sphingomyelin and lysolecithin.     

Lipid composition of beef and human pituitary glands

The lipid composition of beef and human pituitary was determined by chromatographic and spectrophotometric methods. Beef pituitary lipid contained about 25% nonpolar lipids and 75% phospholipids whereas nonpolar lipids made up approximately 60% of the total in human pituitaries. The main nonpolar (i.e., low polarity) lipids in human pituitary were triglycerides, cholesterol, free fatty acids and an unidentified component in the triglyceride fraction. Cholesterol was the major nonpolar lipid component in freshly collected beef anterior and posterior pituitary, but the amount of free fatty acids appeared to increase during storage. Preliminary investigation of the unknown nonpolar lipid in human pituitaries suggested that it was an unsaturated hydroxy compound with no carbonyl functions. Thin layer chromatography indicated that it was also present in smaller amounts in freshly collected beef pituitaries. The main phospholipids of beef anterior, posterior and human pituitary were phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl inositol, phosphatidyl serine and sphingomyelin. The fatty acid composition of total nonpolar lipids, free fatty acids, total phospholipids, phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl choline of beef anterior and posterior pituitary was determined by gas liquid chromatography. Mixtures of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids ranging from C₁₂ to C₂₂ were present; the main fatty acids were palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and arachidonic.     

Studies on the glycolipids and phospholipids of immature soybeans

The lipid of immature soybeans was extracted with chloroform-methanol and fractions containing the glycolipids and phospholipids were separated by column chromatography. Phosphatidyl choline (PC), phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE), phosphatidyl inositol (PI), phosphatidic acid (PA) phosphatidyl glycerol (PG), n-acyl phosphatidyl ethanolamine (APE) and sulfolipid (SL) were identified by thin layer chromatography (TLC). Sterol glucoside (SG), esterified sterol glucoside (ESG), digalactosyl diglyceride (DGDG) and cerebrosides (CE) were isolated by TLC and identified by color reactions, chemical degradation and spectral analysis.     

Lipid synthesis in cultured human embryonic fibroblasts

We describe here the pathways by which human embryonic fibroblasts synthesize lipids. In these studies, we quantitated the phospholipids by their phosphorus content and by their acyl components. These determinations defined both the chemical composition of the cellular membranes as well as their metabolic turnover. Using radiolabeled precursors, we have shown (a) synthesis of the glycerol moiety via glycolysis and the action of glycerokinase, (b) utilization of both exogenously added and endogenously synthesized fatty acids, (c) synthesis de novo of phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine from their base precursors, and (d) the methylation of phosphatidyl ethanolamine yielding phosphatidyl choline. Dividing cells synthesized phosphoglyceride more rapidly than cells in the stationary phase. However, considerable turnover of cellular lipid did occur in the stationary phase.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Changes in phospholipid levels during high moisture storage of soybeans

Fungicide-treated and untreated commercial soy-beans were stored at high temperature and humidity (35 C and 85% RH) in separate environmental chambers. Crude oil was extracted from the beans periodically during a 23-day storage period and its phospholipids separated by three-solvent system, two-dimensional thin layer chromatography. The amount of phospholipids was determined by spectro-photometric assay of inorganic phosphate liberated after perchloric acid digestion. The level of phospho-lipids increased substantially during storage in treated and untreated soybean samples. Phosphatidic acid, phosphatidyl inositol, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, and phosphatidyl choline were the major phospho-lipids. Phosphatidyl choline was the principal phos-pholipid in extracted crude oil from treated and untreated beans during storage. The major phospho-lipid levels increased more rapidly during the first 6 days of storage than during the remainder of the period in both samples. The data indicated that increased phospholipid levels occurred independently of mold growth and could have been the result of water imbibition and germination of the beans during storage.     

Phospholipids of the pulmonate land snailCepaea nemoralis (L.)

The phospholipids of the snailCepaea nemoralis, comprising the major lipid fraction (65%) in this terrestrial pulmonate, were investigated by thin-layer and column chromatography. Detailed gas chromatographic analyses of liberated fatty acid fractions and amino acid analyses of the water soluble moieties of isolated phospholipid classes were carried out. Phosphatidyl choline (47%) and phosphatidyl ethanolamine (21%) were found to be the predominant phospholipid classes, while phosphatidyl serine (8%), phosphatidyl inositol (6%), diphosphatidyl glycerol (3%), ceramide amino-ethylphosphonate (7%), lysophosphatidyl choline (1%), and phosphatidic acid (1%) were present in lesser amounts. In the phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl serine fractions, minor quantities of plasmalogen analogues were detected. Fatty acid profiles of the various phospholipid classes appeared to be strikingly diverse, e.g. a characteristic component, such as linoleic (18∶2ω6) acid, ranging from 3–54%. In vivo radioisotope studies using 1-¹⁴C-acetate demonstrated the high biosynthetic rate of all phospholipid classes and their respective fatty acid fractions. Results are discussed in relation to data on the phospholipids from other invertebrate species.     

Studies on the lipids of sheep red blood cells. I. Lipid composition in low and high potassium red cells

The lipid composition of whole red blood cells was investigated in five sheep with red cells containing a low concentration of potassium (LK) and in five sheep with red cells containing a high concentration of potassium (HK). No apparent differences within the limit of error of the experiment were detected in the lipid class composition between the HK and LK red cells. Cholesterol, the only nonpolar lipid detected in the tissue, was present in oneto-one molar ratio to the total phospholipids. Phosphatidyl ethanolamine and sphingomyelin accounted for 85% of the total phospholipids; phosphatidyl serine, phosphatidyl inositol, phosphatidic acid, and lysolecithin were present in lesser amounts. No lecithin was detected in any of the animals in this investigation. Plasmalogen compounds were found only in the ethanolamine lipids. The molar ratio of choline to noncholine phospholipids was also approximately one to one. It was concluded that the major lipid class distribution in the two types of red cells cannot be directly responsible for the differences observed in the cation concentrations in these cells in the two species of sheep.