Journal of Lipid Research, Vol 30, 877-884, Copyright © 1989 by Lipid Research, Inc.
Characterization of the total lipid and fatty acid composition of rat olfactory mucosa
Y Russell, P Evans and GH Dodd
Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.
Phospholipid accounted for 81% (by weight) of the total lipid of rat
olfactory mucosa. Phosphatidylcholine (46% of total phospholipids) and
phosphatidylethanolamine (26%) were the predominant phospholipids.
Phosphatidylinositol (8%), sphingomyelin (6%), and phosphatidylserine (7%)
were the next most abundant phospholipids, with cardiolipin (4%) and
phosphatidic acid (1%) present in lesser amounts. Only trace amounts of the
polyphosphoinositides, phosphatidylinositol monophosphate, and
phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate were detected. Sterol was the major
neutral lipid present (83% of the total neutral lipid mass) with lesser
amounts of triacylglycerols (7%), steryl esters (6%), free fatty acids
(4%), and diacylglycerols (1%). Monoacylglycerols were detected only in
trace amounts. The sterol to phospholipid ratio was 0.39:1. Most of the
phospholipids of the olfactory mucosa showed a high polyunsaturated fatty
acid content, with the arachidonic acid (20:4) and docosahexaenoic acid
(22:6) residues predominating. The fatty acids in sphingomyelin, however,
were almost totally saturated and included the 24:0 and 24:1 residues,
which were not detected in other phospholipids. Polyunsaturated fatty acids
accounted for less than 25% of the total fatty acid of any individual
neutral lipid and comprised largely linoleic and arachidonic acids. The
results are discussed in relation to the putative role of lipids in
olfactory signal transduction.
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