Regional lipid composition in the rat brain

The lipid composition of the brain is of great importance to its metabolism and function. Although much research has been done on regional brain lipid composition, studies usually suffer from limited brain regions or from limited lipids analyzed. We modified a previously described method for the sep...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular and chemical neuropathology 1993, Vol.18 (1-2), p.123-131
Main Authors: CHAVKO, M, NEMOTO, E. M, MELICK, J. A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Brain Chemistry - physiology
Cholesterol - metabolism
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
Chromatography, Thin Layer
Densitometry
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Glycolipids - metabolism
Lipid Metabolism
Lipids. Glycolipids
Male
Metabolisms and neurohumoral controls
Phospholipids - metabolism
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems
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Summary:The lipid composition of the brain is of great importance to its metabolism and function. Although much research has been done on regional brain lipid composition, studies usually suffer from limited brain regions or from limited lipids analyzed. We modified a previously described method for the separation of brain phospholipids and glycolipids, improving the separation and sensitivity of the method. Using this modified method, we measured the lipid composition of the frontal and entorhinal cortices, the hippocampus, basal ganglia, cerebellum, and medulla oblongata of five rats under nitrous oxide analgesia. Total lipid content was highest (p < 0.05) in the medulla oblongata (111.0 +/- 6.0 mg/g wet brain, X +/- SD) followed by the hippocampus (72.6 +/- 2.8), cerebellum (62.7 +/- 4.6), basal ganglia (62.6 +/- 1.5), frontal cortex (57.7 +/- 2.1), and entorhinal cortex (53.3 +/- 1.9). The areas with higher total lipid content (p < 0.05) also had higher percentages of cerebrosides (18.6 +/- 2.2 in the medulla oblongata vs 8.3 +/- 1.2 in the frontal cortex) and 40 to 50% lower levels of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositol. The relation between the ratio of cerebrosides plus sulfatides to phosphatidylcholine and the total lipid content indicates that differences in brain lipid composition between regions are attributable to their relative gray/white matter content.
ISSN:1044-7393
2168-8729
DOI:10.1007/BF03160026