title: Lipid composition of eggs of an oviparous lizard (Bassiana duperreyi).
abstract: Lipid analysis was performed on freshly ovulated eggs (n = 5) of the oviparous lizard Bassiana duperreyi. The fresh weight of the whole egg contents was 132.0 +/- 4.3 mg (mean +/- SE) of which lipid constituted 21.9 +/- 1.1% (w/w). Triacylglycerol formed an exceptionally high proportion (85.4 +/-0.5%, w/w) of the total lipid, whereas phospholipid, free cholesterol, cholesteryl ester, and free fatty acid, respectively, contributed 11.2 +/- 0.3, 1.4 +/- 0.1, 1.3 +/- 0.1, and 0.6 +/- 0.1% of the total lipid mass. Linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids were the major polyunsaturates of the triacylglycerol fraction, respectively, forming 16.3 +/- 0.1 and 8.3 +/- 0.1% (w/w) of the fatty acids. Linoleic acid was the major fatty acid (29.0 +/- 0.1%) of the total phospholipid, which also contained substantial amounts of arachidonic (6.4 +/- 0.1%) and eicosapentaenoic (3.0 +/- 0.1%) acids, but a relatively low proportion (1.6 +/- 0.1%) of docosahexaenoic acid. Phosphatidylcholine formed the major phospholipid class (73.8 +/- 2.3%) w/w of total phospholipid) and was enriched in linoleic acid, whereas phosphatidylethanolamine, which formed 20.4 +/- 1.9%(w/w) of total phospholipid, contained higher proportions of arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Scottish Agricultural College, Ayr, United Kingdom. b.speake@au.sac.ac.uk
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Speake
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: McCartney
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000032:analysis; D002788:Cholesterol Esters / Q000032:analysis; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D019787:Linoleic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D008116:Lizards; D010063:Ovum / Q000737:chemistry*; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000032:analysis; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000032:analysis; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D002788:Cholesterol Esters; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; D008055:Lipids; D010743:Phospholipids; D014280:Triglycerides; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid; D002784:Cholesterol; D019787:Linoleic Acid