Abstract
Cerebroside sulfate was isolated by column chromatography from infant whole brains and adult human cerebral grey and white matter. Fatty acid analyses, performed by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC), of normal and α-hydroxy fatty acids obtained after hydrolysis revealed that cerebroside sulfate contains long-chain fatty acids ranging from 14–26 carbons both in the normal and hydroxy series. In mature brains, 24:0 and 24:1 were the major fatty acids in both series. Odd-chain fatty acids were present, as well as monounsaturates of both odd- and even-chain fatty acids, but no polyenes were detected. Cerebroside sulfate in the infant brain contained smaller proportions of odd-chain and hydroxy fatty acids when compared with mature brains. Cerebroside sulfate contained smaller proportions of hydroxy acids than cerebroside in each tissue. The fatty acid compositions of cerebroside sulfate from grey and white matter were similar. Comparison of cerebroside and cerebroside sulfate isolated from the same source revealed a similar fatty acid composition for these glycolipids.
Highlights
The dried lipid extracted from grey or white matter was applied to the magnesium silicate column in chloroform and, after elution of cholesterol with chloroform and ceramide with C-M 19:1, cerebroside and cerebroside sulfate were eluted together with C-M 2:l
Cerebroside sulfate isolated as the ammonium salt was a white opaque solid when evaporated to dryness from C-M solutions
T o test this information, the cerebroside and cerebroside sulfate hydroxy fatty acids from human brain grey and white matter and from whole infant brain were examined for other positional isomers of hydroxy fatty acids using the gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) procedure described
Summary
The solvents used were all A.C.S. reagent grade and were redistilled prior to use. I n each of the cases studied, no cerebral pathology was evident on gross examination or after sectioning the cerebral cortex. A 3 month old infant, who died suddenly from probable viral pneumonia. An 11 month old Caucasian male, who died suddenly from asphyxiation. No information regarding past medical history was available (coroner’s case). Pathologic examination revealed no evidence of malnutrition nor chronic disease. A 55 year old Caucasian male, who died suddenly from an acute myocardial infarction. Neurological status was clinically normal prior to death. An 80 year old Caucasian male, who died of congestive heart failure due to hypertensive cardiovascular disease. T h e specimens were frozen immediately after removal and stored at -20’ prior to Obtained from Dow Co., Freeport, Texas
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