title: Fatty acid composition of human brain phospholipids during normal development.
abstract: The fatty acid composition of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), ethanolamine plasmalogens (EPs), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylcholine (PC), and sphingomyelin was studied in 22 human forebrains, ranging in age from 26 prenatal weeks to 8 postnatal years. Phospholipids were separated by two-dimensional TLC, and the fatty acid methyl esters studied by capillary column GLC. Docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) increased with age in PE and PC, whereas arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) remained quite constant. In EP, 22:6n-3 increased less markedly than 20:4n-6, adrenic (22:4n-6) and oleic (18:1n-9) acids being the predominant fatty acids during postnatal age. In PS, 18:1n-9 increased dramatically throughout development, and 20:4n-6 and 22:4n-6 increased only until approximately 6 months of age. Although 22:6n-3 kept quite constant during development in PS, its percentage decreased due to the accretion of other polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). As a characteristic myelin lipid, sphingomyelin was mainly constituted by very long chain saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. Among them, nervonic acid (24:1n-9) was the major very long chain fatty acid in Sp, followed by 24:0, 26:1n-9, and 26:0, and its accretion after birth was dramatic. As myelination advanced, 18:1n-9 increased markedly in all four glycerophospholipids, predominating in EP, PS, and PC. In contrast, 22:6n-3 was the most important PUFA in PE in the mature forebrain.
authors.affiliation: Center for Research in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Maternity-Children's Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mougan
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D004883:Erucic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D005333:Fetus; D020404:Glycerophospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000378:metabolism; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines / Q000378:metabolism; D010718:Phosphatidylserines / Q000378:metabolism; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D010955:Plasmalogens / Q000378:metabolism; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D004883:Erucic Acids; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D020404:Glycerophospholipids; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines; D010718:Phosphatidylserines; D010743:Phospholipids; D010955:Plasmalogens; C020791:phosphatidal ethanolamines; C011395:adrenic acid; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D016718:Arachidonic Acid