Spectrophotometric studies on human sebum

Abstract

The principal selectively absorbing substance shows Amax = 258 mu. This was not identified. No vit. A, beta-carotene, vit. K or provit. D was detected. Vit. E may be present in small amts. The evidence is doubtful; if tocopherol is present it is outside the range of detection of normal spectroscopic measurement. It is estimated that the amt. of tocopherol cannot exceed 0.03% of the sebum. Two fractions from a "sterol-like" substance provided by MacKenna et al. were shown both to give a blue color with trichloroacetic acid and with SbCl3 in chloroform. Cholesterol, squalene, a hydrocarbon, m.p. 56[degree], and an unidentified substance, m.p. 79-81[degree], were isolated.