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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Determination of Total Lipid and Lipid Classes in Marine Samples
Published on: December 11, 2021
Lipid class and fatty acid composition of the boreal soft coral Gersemia rubiformis
Andrey B Imbs1, Olga A Demina, Darja A Demidkova
1Laboratory of Comparative Biochemistry, Institute of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 690041 Vladivostok, Russian Federation. andreyimbs@hotmail.com
Abstract:
Total lipid, phospholipid, and FA composition and distribution of FA between polar lipids (PL) and neutral lipids (NL) were investigated in the boreal soft coral Gersemia rubiformis from the Bering Sea. The total lipids were mostly hydrocarbons and waxes (33.7%) and PL (33.1%). The content of monoalkyldiacylglycerols (9.7%) exceeded the content of TAG (6.7%). PC and PE constituted 31.4% and 25.6% of total phospholipids, respectively. Principal FA were 16:0, 16:1n-7, 18:0, 18:1n-9, 18:1n-7, 20:1n-7, 20:4n-6, 20:4n-3, 20:5n-3, 22:5n-3, 22:6n-3, 24:5n-6, and 24:6n-3. Most n-6 PUFA (52% of total FA) were associated with the PL fraction; this was especially true for arachidonic and tetracosapentaenoic acids. The NL were enriched with mono-, di-, trienoic, and n-3 PUFA. The variation in EPA levels in both NL and PL suggests an origin of this acid from lipids of diatoms consumed by the corals.
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