On the membrane phospholipids and their acyl group profiles of adrenal gland

The phospholipid composition and their acyl group profiles from subcellular fractions of guinea pig adrenal gland and the same fractions from the cortex and medulla of the bovine gland were compared. The phospholipids of guinea pig adrenal were enriched in diacyl-glycerophosphocholines (GPC) which comprised over 50% of the total phospholipids, but the proportions of ethanolamine and choline plasmalogens, sphingomyelin and diacyl-glycerophosphoserine (GPS) were lower in guinea pig adrenals as compared to the bovine adrenals. In the bovine adrenal, sphingomyelin and diacyl-GPS were enriched in the medulla, whereas diacyl-glycerophosphoinositol (GPI) were enriched in the cortex. Although lysolecithin was present (up to 4.5%) in the bovine adrenal, only trace amounts of this lipid were detected in the guinea pig adrenal. Characteristic acyl group profiles were found associated with each type of the phosphoglycerides in adrenal membranes. However, acyl group profiles of the phosphoglycerides were not greatly different either between the bovine and guinea pig adrenal or with respect to the type of subcellular membranes isolated. Diacyl-GPC were enriched in 16∶0 and 18∶1, but also contained considerable amounts of 18∶0, 18∶2 and 20∶4. Diacyl-GPE were enriched in 18∶0, 18∶1 and 20∶4, while diacyl-GPI, diacyl-GPS, as well as alkenylacyl-GPE, were enriched in 20∶4. The lysolecithin from bovine adrenal membranes contained mainly 16∶0, 18∶0 and 18∶1 with only trace amounts of the polyunsaturated fatty acids. Other polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as 22∶4 and 22∶6, are apparently not prominent in the phosphoglycerides from either the bovine or the guinea pig adrenal gland.