Abstract
The phospholipid molecular species from a large-scale preparation of human placenta lipids were analyzed. The major placental phospholipids were choline glycerophospholipids (CPL) (53.2 wt%), sphingomyelin (21.7 wt%) and ethanolamine glycerophospholipids (EPL) (14.6 wt%). 1,2-Diacyl-glycerophosphocholine was the most abundant subclass of CPL (91.7 mol%), while EPL contained 1,2-diacyl (54.6 mol%) and 1-alk-1′-enyl-2-acyl (43.8 mol%) subclasses. The level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in total phospholipids was remarkably constant (38.4–39.9 mol%) within all placental batches tested. The long-chain PUFA, mainly 20∶4n−6 and 22∶6n−3 of the n−6 and n−3 series, respectively, were found in high proportion in all phospholipid classes, especially in EPL (46.7 mol%) and in inositol glycerophospholipids (IPL) (39.9 mol%). CPL and serine glycerophospholipids were much richer in 18∶1n−9 and 18∶2n−6. High levels of molecular species with arachidonic acid in thesn-2 position were found particularly in 1-alk-1′-enyl-2-acyl-glycerophospho-ethanolamine (with 24.0 mol% 16∶0 and 22.0 mol% 18∶0 insn-1 position) and in 1,2-diacyl glycerophosphoinositol with 42.6 mol% 18∶0 insn-1 position. EPL subclasses were rich in 22∶6n−3, which occurs mainly as 16∶0/22∶6n−3 (11.7 mol%) in the polasmalogen form and as 18∶0/22∶6n−3, 16∶0/22∶6n−3 and 18∶1/22∶6n−3 in the diacyl forms. Based on their availability and composition, placental phospholipids could be of interest, for example, for supplementing artificial milk preparations with n−3 and n−6 long-chain PUFA for newborn infants with insufficiently developed 18∶2n−6 and 18∶3n−3 desaturation/elongation.
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Abbreviations
- BHT:
-
butylated hydroxytoluene
- CPL:
-
choline glycerophospholipids
- EPL:
-
ethanolamine glycerophospholipids
- GLC:
-
gas-liquid chromatography
- GPC:
-
glycerophosphocholines
- GPE:
-
glycerophosphoethanolamines
- GPI:
-
glycerophosphoinositols
- GPS:
-
glycerophosphoserines
- HPLC:
-
high-performance liquid chromatography
- IPL:
-
inositol glycerophospholipids
- PUFA:
-
polyunsaturated fatty acids
- SPL:
-
serine glycerophospholipids
- TLC:
-
thinlayer chromatography
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Bayon, Y., Croset, M., Chirouze, V. et al. Phospholipid molecular species from human placenta lipids. Lipids 28, 631–636 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02536058
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02536058