Les lipides liés de l’aorte humaine athéroscléreuse

Abstract

Summary Previous studies on the lipid content of human aortic wall have indicated that the tissue contains small amounts of that are not extractable by lipid solvents unless the structure of the wall is destroyed; the presence of these lipids, apparently nearly phospholipids rich in dienoic fatty acids has been inferred from histochemical methods. In the present study, these lipids were extracted from intima and media of atheromatous human aortas after treatment with pepsin and trypsin, and separated by thin-layer chromatography. They were particularly rich in glycerides and free fatty acids (compared to aortic extracted normally). There was no significant difference in content between intima and media, except that media contained a higher proportion of phospholipids. The fatty acids of the various lipid classes contained high proportions of stearic acid and, in the free fatty acids and media phospholipids, of unidentified fatty acids that may be unsaturated C 12 acids. One polar fraction (soluble in chloroform but not in hexane) does not migrate in thin-layer chromatography, even in highly polar solvents. It contains non-lipid components fluorescent in ultraviolet light and also components rich in phosphorus, perhaps phospholipids. A possible atherogenic role is suggested for these bound lipids.