title: Molecular species composition of glycerophospholipids from white matter of human brain.
abstract: 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-acyl sn-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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Molecular Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Scotland.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010712:Phosphatidic Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000737:chemistry; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines / Q000737:chemistry; D010718:Phosphatidylserines / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D010712:Phosphatidic Acids; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines; D010718:Phosphatidylserines