Chromatographic separation of brain lipids: cerebroside and sulphatide

Abstract

The material extracted from rat brain by means of chloroform-methanol (21, v/v) has been analysed for galactose, sphingosine, total nitrogen, amino nitrogen, total phosphorus, cholesterol and acyl ester. Similar analyses were carried out on the extract after removal of water-soluble substances and proteolipid protein. The results indicate that no lipids, other than ganglioside, are lost in the course of this purification procedure. Chromatography of the washed, deproteinized, lipid extract on alumina with a gradient-elution technique, in which the water content of the solvent was slowly increased, led to the successive elution of cerebroside, sulphatide and aminophospholipid. The cerebroside and sulpha-tide peaks always overlapped. With no batch of alumina the galactose-containing lipids were completely separated from the aminophospholipid. Gradient-elution chromatography on silicic acid, whereby the methanol content of the solvent was increased, led to the complete separation of the cerebroside from the sulphatide. The former was also separated from the aminophospholipid, whereas there was overlapping between the sulphatide and aminophospholipid.