title: Composition of human serum sphingomyelins.
abstract: Serum sphingomyelins were analyzed by argentation chromatography of the corresponding ceramide diacetates. Six subfractions were obtained. Three of them contained 4-sphingenines in combination with saturated, trans-, or cis-monoenoic fatty acids; the remaining three contained sphingadienine, also in combination with saturated, trans-, or cis-monoenoic fatty acids. Palmitic acid was the principal fatty acid combined with 4-sphingenines, while nervonic acid was the principal fatty acid combined with sphingadienine. About 4% of the total fatty acids of sphingomyelin were trans-monoenoic. They were comprised of many positional isomers of straight-chain C(22-24) compounds. The cis-monoenoic acids made up 33% of the total acids and consisted of almost pure nervonic acid. The rest of the acids were saturated. The 4-sphingenines contained small amounts of iso-C(18) and anteiso-C(19) compounds in addition to the straight-chain C(16-18) bases.
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates; D000605:Amino Alcohols / Q000032:analysis; D002554:Cerebrosides; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000201:enzymology; D004032:Diet; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007259:Infrared Rays; D008297:Male; D010169:Palmitic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D010740:Phospholipases; D012834:Silver; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D013109:Sphingomyelins / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D000605:Amino Alcohols; D002554:Cerebrosides; D005227:Fatty Acids; D010169:Palmitic Acids; D013109:Sphingomyelins; D012834:Silver; D010740:Phospholipases