Molecular species of lecithins of some functionally distinct rat tissues

Abstract

The lecithins of the liver, lung, intestine, plasma, and red blood cells of rats were isolated and the major individual molecular species identified and estimated quantitatively by combined thin-layer and gas chromatographic analyses and specific enzymic hydrolyses. The lecithins prepared from different tissues of the same animal varied significantly in the composition, positional distribution, and molecular association of the fatty acids. The most complex were the highly unsaturated lecithins of the liver and plasma, while the more saturated lecithins of the red blood cells and lung showed somewhat simpler patterns. In most cases the fatty acid distributions differed markedly from random. The results are interpreted to reflect the existence of both common structural and specific or functionally distinct lecithins in these rat tissues.