Molecular species of lecithins of rat heart, kidney, and plasma.

The lecithins of the heart, kidney, and plasma of the rat were isolated, and the major molecular species identified and quantitatively estimated by combined thin-layer and gas-liquid chromatographic analyses and specific enzymic hydrolyses. The lecithins of the three tissues differed significantly in the composition, positional distribution, and pairing of the fatty acids. No preferential pairing of any one saturated with any other unsaturated fatty acids was observed. The three tissues contained qualitatively the same molecular species of lecithins. The lecithin profiles of the rat heart and kidney appeared to be unrelated to that of the plasma.