STUDIES ON MOLECULAR-SPECIES OF CHOLINE GLYCEROPHOSPHOLIPIDS OF DEVELOPING RAT-BRAIN

Abstract

The chronological changes in molecular species of choline glycerophospholipids were studied for cerebra of 17, 19 and 21 day old rat fetuses, and 3, 6, 12, 24 and 90 day old rats. The molecular species found by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and selected ion retrieval technique were phosphatidylcholines of 30:0, 32:0, 32:1, 34:0, 34:1, 34:2, 36:0, 36:1, 36:2, 36:3 and 36:4, where the larger number indicates the sum of chain lengths on positions C-1 and C-2; the smaller number is the total number of double bonds. Of these molecular species, 32:0 (mainly 16:0/16:0, dipalmitoyl glycerophosphorylcholine), 34:1 (mainly 16:0/18:1, palmitoyloleoyl glycerophosphorylcholine), 34:0,='' (16:0/18:0, palmitoylsteraroyl glycerophosphorylcholine), 32:1 (mainly 16:0/16:1, palmitoylpalmitoleoyl glycerophosphorylcholine) were main species. The 32:0'' species increased to about 44% at around the 10th day and thereafter remained nearly constant. 34:1 and 34:0 decreased to about 17 and 6% at that time and then increased to about 30 and 14%, respectively. 30:0 increased from last stage of gestation to the 6th day and then decreased. 32:1 was about 16% for 17 day old fetus and decreased gradually. 36:1 (18:0/18:1, stearoyloteoyl glycerophosphorylcholine) increased at the latter part of development.