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Untersuchungen an Glycerinphospholipiden aus weißer Substanz von MS- und Normalgehirnen

The glycerophospholipid content of the white matter of normal and MS brains

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Summary

In order to determine the total lipid content, as well as the fatty acid and aldehyde content of the two principal glycerophospholipid fractions, the cholinephosphatides and the ethanolaminephosphatides, 17 samples of normal looking white matter from various regions of four brains of MS patients, and 21 samples from the corresponding regions of five normal brains, were analyzed. The MS patients had suffered from the disease for 8 to 20 years and the diagnosis had been established histologically.

A statistically significant difference, expressed in mg/g of dry tissue weight, was found in the normal looking white matter of the MS brains compared with that of the normal brains, as follows:

  1. (1)

    The lipids in general and every lipidfraction itself (total cholesterol, phospholipids and glycolipids) were reduced.

  2. (2)

    The reduction of the different phospholipid families varied. The decrease of ethanolamineplasmalogens and of phosphatidylserines was the greatest (25%), whereas the remaining ethanolamine phospholipids and the phosphatidylcholines were nearly the same as in normal tissue.

  3. (3)

    Fatty acids of phosphatidylcholines showed a decrease of C18:0 and C18:1. The absolute amount of palmitic acid was by no means reduced, but seemed to be increased.

  4. (4)

    The fatty acids, a well as the aldehydes of the ethanolamine phospholipids, showed a decrease of C18:1. The other aldehydes were also diminished, as was also true for the C20:1 fatty acid.

We think it important that there was a difference in the amount of reduction in the phospholipid families and a decrease of the monounsaturated compounds in the main glycerophospholipids.

Zusammenfassung

Aus 4 MS-Gehirnen entnahmen wir 17 Proben von makroskopisch unveränderter weißer Substanz und verglichen sie hinsichtlich der Gesamtlipide, der Phospholipidzusammensetzung sowie der Fettsäuren und Aldehyde aus den cholin- bzw. ethanolaminhaltigen Phospholipiden mit 21 entsprechenden Proben aus 5 Normalgehirnen. Die weiße Substanz stammte vor allem aus den großen Marklagern des Frontal-, Parietal-, Occipital-Hirns und einiger anderer Regionen. Die Krankheitsdauer der Patienten betrug 8–20 Jahre. Die Diagnose war durch histologische Kontrollen gesichert.

Folgende Ergebnisse, gewonnen durch die Untersuchung der „normal“ erscheinenden weißen Substanz der MS-Gehirne, waren hoch signifikant — (angegeben in mg/g getr. Gewebe).

  1. 1.

    Die Gesamtlipide und die einzelnen Lipidfraktionen (Gesamtcholesterin, Phospholipide und Glycolipide) waren vermindert.

  2. 2.

    Die Abnahme der verschiedenen Phospholipidklassen war sehr unterschiedlich. Dabei zeigten die Ethanolaminplasmalogene und die serinhaltigen Phospholipide die stärkste Reduktion (etwa um 25%), während die übrigen Ethanolaminphospholipide im Material aus pathologischen Gehirnen in gleicher Menge wie in den normalen Proben vorlag. Das Phosphatidylcholin wies nur eine Abnahme von 5% auf.

  3. 3.

    Die Fettsäuren des Phosphatidylcholins zeigten eine Abnahme der C18:0-und C18:1-Verbindungen. Die absolute Menge der C16:0-Fettsäure war keineswegs vermindert. Sie war — allerdings nicht signifikant — angestiegen.

  4. 4.

    Sowohl bei den Fettsäuren als auch den Aldehyden der ethanolaminhaltigen Phospholipide hatten die C18:1-Verbindungen stark abgenommen. Bei den Aldehyden waren auch die anderen Komponenten betroffen, bei den Fettsäuren besonders auch die C20-Monoene.

Die spezifische Verminderung einiger Glycerinphospholipide wie auch die mehrfach anzutreffende Abnahme der Monoenverbindungen erscheint uns besonders bedeutsam.

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Abbreviations

PC:

Phosphatidylcholin (=Lecithin)

PE:

Phosphatidylethanolamine

FS:

Fettsäuren

FSME:

Fettsäuremethylester

DMA:

Dimethylacetale

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  1. Institut für Physiologische Chemie der Universität zu Köln, Lehrstuhl II, Joseph-Stelzmann-Straße 52, D-5000, Köln 41, Bundesrepublik Deutschland

    Manfred Winterfeld & Hildegard Debuch

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  1. Manfred Winterfeld
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  2. Hildegard Debuch
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Winterfeld, M., Debuch, H. Untersuchungen an Glycerinphospholipiden aus weißer Substanz von MS- und Normalgehirnen. J. Neurol. 215, 261–272 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00312497

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00312497

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