Sphingophosphonolipid molecular species from edible mollusks and a jellyfish

Abstract

The goal of this study is to supplement the composition and nature of sphingophosphonolipids diversity from edible mollusks ( Mytilus galloprovincialis, Eobania vermiculata) and from jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca, organisms rich in phosphonolipids. M. galloprovincialis contained a major ceramide 2-aminoethylphosphonate (CAEP-I M) and a minor ceramide that was detected chromatographically as the methyl analog (CAEP-II M). In CAEP-I M, saturated fatty acids (FA) of 14, 16 and 18 carbons amounted to 68.8%; also 52.5% dihydroxy bases were detected. On thin layer chromatography, the R f for CAEP-II M was smaller than the R f for CAEP-I M because of an increase of 22.0% in 2OH-16:0 FA, plus 29.2% trihydroxy bases (phytosphingosine). Similarly, a ceramide 2-methylaminoethylphosphonate (CAEP-II E, 1.5% of phospholipids) was quantitated in Eobania (apart from the previously reported major CAEP, 7.6%). In CAEP-II E, saturated and hydroxy FA of 14, 16 and 18 carbons amounted to 37.0 and 37.8%; 29.1% dihydroxy and 23.0% trihydroxy bases were detected in the same molecule. Eobania's unsaturated FA percentages (total lipids: 66.3, polar: 47.5, neutral: 59.0) were similar to those previously found for other land snails . A suite of two minor CAEP (CAEP-II P, CAEP-III P) was quantitated in Pelagia at 2.0 and 1.3% of phospholipids (apart from the previously reported major CAEP, 21.0%) identified chromatographically as methyl analogs. In CAEP-II P, saturated FA of 14, 16, 18 and 19 carbons amounted to 56.0%; 12.6% dihydroxy and 34.1% trihydroxy bases were also detected in CAEP-II P. The R f CAEP-III P<R f CAEP-II P owing to an increase of +8.5% of hydroxy FA and +12.3% of trihydroxy bases. The compositions of CAEP-II M and CAEP-II E appear to be specific of each organism, while the composition of molluscan or jellyfish major sphingophosphonolipids appears not specific.