Publication | Open Access
Fatty Acid Composition of Human Brain Phospholipids During Normal Development
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1998
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The fatty acid composition of phosphatidylethanolamine, ethanolamine plasmalogens, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine, and sphingomyelin was examined in 22 human forebrains ranging from 26 weeks prenatal to 8 years postnatal. Phospholipids were separated by two‑dimensional thin‑layer chromatography and the resulting fatty acid methyl esters analyzed by capillary column gas‑liquid chromatography. During development docosahexaenoic acid increased in PE and PC while arachidonic acid remained constant; in EP adrenic and oleic acids dominated postnatally, PS showed a dramatic rise in oleic acid up to about six months with DHA’s relative share falling as other polyunsaturated fatty acids accumulated, sphingomyelin was mainly very long‑chain fatty acids—especially nervonic acid, whose postnatal accretion was pronounced, and overall oleic acid rose across all glycerophospholipids during myelination, whereas DHA remained the key PUFA in mature PE.
Abstract: The fatty acid composition of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), ethanolamine plasmalogens (EPs), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylcholine (PC), and sphingomyelin was studied in 22 human forebrains, ranging in age from 26 prenatal weeks to 8 postnatal years. Phospholipids were separated by two‐dimensional TLC, and the fatty acid methyl esters studied by capillary column GLC. Docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n‐3) increased with age in PE and PC, whereas arachidonic acid (20:4n‐6) remained quite constant. In EP, 22:6n‐3 increased less markedly than 20:4n‐6, adrenic (22:4n‐6) and oleic (18:1n‐9) acids being the predominant fatty acids during postnatal age. In PS, 18:1n‐9 increased dramatically throughout development, and 20:4n‐6 and 22:4n‐6 increased only until ∼6 months of age. Although 22:6n‐3 kept quite constant during development in PS, its percentage decreased due to the accretion of other polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). As a characteristic myelin lipid, sphingomyelin was mainly constituted by very long chain saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. Among them, nervonic acid (24:1n‐9) was the major very long chain fatty acid in Sp, followed by 24:0, 26:1n‐9, and 26:0, and its accretion after birth was dramatic. As myelination advanced, 18:1n‐9 increased markedly in all four glycerophospholipids, predominating in EP, PS, and PC. In contrast, 22:6n‐3 was the most important PUFA in PE in the mature forebrain.