LIPIDS AND PROTEINS IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS WHITE MATTER¹

Abstract

Abstract— Quantitative analyses of white matter from four brains of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and four control brains were carried out for total and soluble proteins, individual lipid fractions, and their corresponding fatty acids. In three specimens from two of the MS brains there were reductions of cerebrosides and of the C 20:1 acid in the ethanolamine glycerophosphatide (EGP) fraction and a slight increase of tetraenes and trienes, while all other components were present in concentrations similar to those in the controls. In three other samples from two of the MS brains, galactolipids were deficient to a greater extent than cholesterol, EGP or CGP (choline glycerophosphatide), while proteins were within the control range. In samples where thinning of myelin was observed in Luxol‐blue stained sections, there were proportional decreases of all components. The percentage of C 20:1 acid in the EGP fraction was reduced in two of three myelin preparations from corresponding samples of MS white matter, and that of C 24:1 acid in the cerebroside fraction was reduced in all three MS myelin preparations when compared with the two controls. The data suggest that inadequacy of the fatty acid elongation process together with deficits of cerebrosides represent one of the early biochemical lesions in the white matter of the MS brain.