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Sphingophosphonolipids, phospholipids, and fatty acids from aegean jellyfish Aurelia aurita

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Lipids

Abstract

The goal of this study is to elucidate and identify several sphingophosphonolipids from Aurelia aurita, an abundant but harmless Aegean jellyfish, in which they have not previously been described. Total lipids of A. aurita were 0.031–0.036% of fresh tissue, and the lipid phosphorus content was 1.3–1.7% of total lipids. Phosphonolipids were 21.7% of phospholipids and consisted of a major ceramide aminoethyl-phosphonate (CAEP-1; 18.3%), as well as three minor CAEP (II, III, IV) methyl analogs at 1.3, 1.1, and 1.0%, respectively. The remaining phospholipid composition was: phosphatidylcholine, 44.5%, including 36.2% glycerylethers; phosphatidylethanolamine, 18.6%, including 4.5% glycerylethers; cardiolipin, 5.6%; phosphatidylinositol, 2.6%; and lysophosphatidylcholine, 5.0%. In CAEP-1; saturated fatty acids of 14–18 carbon chain length were 70.8% and were combined with 57.3% dihydroxy bases and 23.4% trihydroxy bases. The suite of the three minor CAFP methyl analogs were of the same lipid class based on the head group, but they separated into three different components because of their polarity as follows: CAEP-II and CAEP-III differentiation from the major CAEP-I was mainly due to the increased fatty acid unsaturation and not to a different long-chain base, but the CAEP-IV differentiation from CAEP-I, apart from fatty acid unsaturation, was due to the increased content of hydroxyl groups originated from both hydroxy fatty acids and trihydroxy long-chain bases. Saturated fatty acids were predominant in total (76.7%), polar (83.0%), and neutral lipids (67.6%) of A. aurita. The major phospholipid components of A. aurita were comparable to those previously found in a related organism (Pelagia noctiluca), which can injure humans.

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Abbreviations

AEP:

2-aminoethylphosphonic acid

CAEP:

ceramide 2-aminoethylphosphonic acid

CCL:

carbon chain length

CL:

cardiolipin

CMAEF:

ceramide 2-methylaminoethylphosphonic acid

ECL:

equivalent chain length

FA:

fatty acids

GC:

gas chromatography

GPC:

L-α-glycerylphosphorylcholine

GPE:

L-α-glycerylphosphorylethanolamine

GPI:

l-α-glycerylphosphorylinositol

GPnL:

glycerophosphonolipid

HPTLC:

high-performance thin-layer chromatography

LCB:

long-chain base

L-PE:

lyso-PE

L-PC:

lyso-PC

MAEP:

2-methylaminoethylphosphonic acid

MUFA:

monounsaturated fatty acids

NL:

neutral lipids

PC:

phosphatidylcholine

PE:

phosphatidylethanolamine

PhL:

phospholipid

PI:

phosphatidylinositol

PL:

polar lipids

PnL:

phosphonolipid

PUFA:

polyunsaturated fatty acids

SFA:

saturated fatty acids

SPnGL:

sphingophosphonoglycolipid

SPnL:

sphingophosphonolipid

TDB:

total dihydroxy bases

TL:

total lipids

TLC:

thin-layer chromatography

TMS:

trimethylsilyl

TTB:

total trihydroxy bases

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  1. Food Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou 15771, Athens, Greece

    Dimitrios M. Kariotoglou & Sofia K. Mastronicolis

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  1. Dimitrios M. Kariotoglou
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Correspondence to Sofia K. Mastronicolis.

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Kariotoglou, D.M., Mastronicolis, S.K. Sphingophosphonolipids, phospholipids, and fatty acids from aegean jellyfish Aurelia aurita . Lipids 36, 1255–1264 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-001-0840-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-001-0840-3

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