Abstract
ABSTRACTPreeclampsia is accompanied by an extensive remodeling of the extracellular matrix of umbilical cord. It is associated with an increase in collagen content in the umbilical cord artery. Furthermore, preeclampsia distinctly reduces proteolytic and gelatinolytic activity, especially after activation with various agents.We decided to develop a method for separation and determination of fatty acids from different tissues by high-performance liquid chromatography. That method allowed us to determine cholesteryl ester composition and content in umbilical cord arteries. Studies were performed on the umbilical cord arteries taken from 10 newborns delivered by healthy mothers and 10 newborns delivered by mothers with preeclampsia. Cholesteryl esters were isolated by thin layer chromatography. Fatty acids were liberated by basic hydrolysis and analyzed by HPLC of their p-bromophenacyl derivatives using detection at 254 nm. It was found that saturated fatty acids were the main group of fatty acids incorporated to cholesteryl esters in all control and preeclamptic umbilical cord arteries. Preeclampsia caused a significant increase in cholesteryl ester content in the umbilical cord arteries. An increase of neutral lipid content in vessel walls of newborns delivered by mothers with preeclampsia may be one of the factors that evoke the initiation of hypertension in utero and its amplification throughout childhood and adult life. The described method reduces time and cost consumption and allows us to determine almost all fatty acids forming cholesteryl esters contained in the tissue sample.
Highlights
Lipids are a huge and molecularly diversified group of compounds that is present in all living organisms
Studies were performed on the umbilical cord arteries taken from 10 newborns delivered by healthy mothers and 10 newborns delivered by mothers with preeclampsia
Cholesteryl esters were isolated by thin layer chromatography
Summary
Lipids are a huge and molecularly diversified group of compounds that is present in all living organisms. They serve several important roles in cells, such as components forming biological membranes or participating in signal transduction into the cell. Fatty acid composition is one of the most important attributes of lipid fractions isolated from different tissues. In order to determine their exact characterization, fatty acids contained in investigated lipid fraction should be liberated by basic hydrolysis (Engelmann et al 1988) or methylation (Nawrocki and Gorski 2004). Qualitative and quantitative analysis of those fatty acids could be made by gas chromatography (Nawrocki and Gorski 2004) or high-performance liquid chromatography (Engelmann et al 1988)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
