Analysis of the lipid composition of human and boar spermatozoa by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, thin layer chromatography and 31P NMR spectroscopy.
Alterations in the phospholipid (PL) composition of spermatozoal membranes occur during the fertilization process. Furthermore, membrane lipid composition is of high interest with respect to cryopreservation. The PL and fatty acid compositions of human and boar spermatozoa are compared by using matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) in combination with thin-layer chromatography and 31P NMR spectroscopy. The extreme sensitivity of alkenyl-linked PL against acid treatment was used to estimate the plasmalogen content of spermatozoa. Compared with humans, boar spermatozoa are characterized by a lower variability of their PL and fatty acid composition. Additionally, boar spermatozoa contain much higher moieties of alkyl-linked compounds, e.g. 1-palmityl-2-docosapentaenoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and 1-palmityl-2-docosahexaenoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine as well as the corresponding phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), while human spermatozoa are characterized by high contents of diacyl-PL, e.g. 1-palmitoyl-2-docosahexaenoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and 1-palmitoyl-2-docosahexaenoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine. A considerable plasmalogen moiety, for instance 1-palmitenyl-2-docosahexaenoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine is a typical feature of both, human and boar spermatozoa. It will be shown that these differences in PL composition can be very rapidly and conveniently assessed by MALDI-TOF MS in combination with TLC and also by 31P NMR.
University of Leipzig, Medical Faculty, Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Liebigstrasse 27, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany. lesj@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
Jacqueline
J
Lessig
Claudia
C
Gey
Rosemarie
R
Süss
Jürgen
J
Schiller
Hans-Jürgen
HJ
Glander
Jürgen
J
Arnhold
D000818:Animals; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000737:chemistry*; D013552:Swine
D008055:Lipids