Analysis of dolichol in human tissues by high pressure liquid chromatography.

Dolichol from human liver was shown by reverse-phase high pressure liquid chromatography to consist of a series of homologues ranging in length from 17 to 23 isoprene units. The two major components, corresponding to 19 and 20 isoprene units, respectively, were isolated and identified by mass spectrometry. Dolichyl palmitate, synthesized from liver dolichol, showed an identical series of peaks with longer retention times. Attempts to chromatography dolichyl phosphate under similar conditions were unsuccessful. Dolichol from uterine tissue and several other human tissues showed a shift toward shorter chain length, with a predominance of homologues containing 18 and 19 isoprene units.