ADRENAL LIPIDS IN PREGNANCY

D. P. SHARMA, T. A. VENKITASUBRAMANIAN
1973 Reproduction  
Human adrenals have been reported to contain 40 to 50 mg total cholesterol and 20 mg phospholipids per g of tissue (Shohl, 1939) . The adrenals of male Wistar rats have been found to contain 39\m=.\0 mg phospholipids, 3\m=.\0 mg free cholesterol, 50\m=.\4 mg cholesterol ester, 2\m=.\2 mg fatty acids and 18\m=.\0 mg triglycerides per g tissue (Angelico, Cavina, D'Antona & Giocoli, 1965) . Observations on male guinea-pigs have revealed 230\m=.\3 mg total lipids, 30\m=.\0 mg phospholipids,
more » ... mg esterified cholesterol and 10\m=.\97 mg free cholesterol per g adrenal tissue (Misra, Misra & Venkitasubramanian, 1965) . No information is available on the pattern of lipid changes in adrenals of guinea-pigs or other species during pregnancy. Details on phospholipid fractions and on incorporation studies of [1-14C]acetate are also lacking. The present investigation was undertaken to elicit the relevant information. Female guinea-pigs of 5 to 6 months of age and in the 600to 1000-g body wt range were selected at random. The experimental group was mated and maintained to mid-pregnancy when they were killed. A non-pregnant group was studied simultaneously as controls. Intraperitoneal injection of [1-14C]acetate (sp.act. 3\ m=. \ 2 mCi/mmol) was given to both groups at the rate of 10 \g=m\Ci/100 g body weight 2 hr before autopsy, when the adrenals were removed and weighed to a precision of 0\m=.\01 mg. The gland was homogenized in chloroform: methanol (2:1, v/v), and the homogenate was centrifuged. The process was repeated three times, and the supernatants were pooled and dried at 40 to 45\s=deg\C in vacuo. Proteolipids were split and non-lipid contaminants were eliminated (Folch, Lees & Sloane-Stanley, 1957) . The total lipid extract was fractionated by thin-layer chromatography for neutral lipids, using an n-hexane : diethylether-glacial acetic acid (60:40:1, by vol.) solvent system (Mangold, 1965) . The plates (20 \ m=x\20 cm) were developed up to a height of 7 cm in the solvent system, air-dried and subsequently run to 15 cm in a modified system com¬ prising the same solvents in the ratio of 90:10:1, respectively. A line was drawn just below the diglyceride spot, and the plates were again run up to this line in a third solvent system comprising the same solvent mixture in the respective proportions of 30:70:1, which made the monoglycerides move up from the base line. Another aliquot of total lipid extract was fractionated for phospho¬ lipids by thin-layer chromatography, using the solvent system of Abramson & Blecher (1964) , consisting of chloroform : methanol : 7 N-ammonia (115:45:7-5, by vol.).
doi:10.1530/jrf.0.0350195 pmid:4742162 fatcat:egx5rhng5jasldlm4n2spkqb3e