The separation of nitrogen-containing phosphate esters from brain and spinal cord by ion-exchange chromatography

Abstract

Deproteinized aqueous extracts of avian brain and spinal cord have been resolved by chromatography on a column of a finely divided sulfonated polystyrene resin and the more mobile components examined. The method is shown to be suitable for the separation and quantitative estimation of phosphorylcholine and glycerylphosphorycholine in brain and spinal cord. Phosphorylserine was well resolved. Phosphorylethanolamine and glyceryl-phosphorylethanolamine, although overlapping their choline counterparts to some extent could be determined by specific reaction with ninhydrin and the quantities present in brain were ascertained.