TLC and 31P-NMR analysis of low polarity phospholipids

High-performance TLC and (31)P-NMR were assessed as methods of observing the presence of numerous low polarity phospholipids: bis-phosphatidic acid (BPA), semi-lyso bis-phosphatidic acid (SLBPA), N-acyl phosphatidylethanolamine (NAPE), N-(1,1-dimethyl-3-oxo-butyl)-phosphatidylethanolamine (diacetone adduct of PE, DOBPE), N-acetyl PE, phosphatidylmethanol (PM), phosphatidylethanol (PEt), phosphatidyl-n-propanol (PP), phosphatidyl-n-butanol (PB). Both techniques are non-discriminative and do not require the prior isolation of individual lipids. It appears that 2D TLC is superior to (31)P NMR in the analysis of low polarity phospholipids. All phosphatidylalcohols were well separated by 2D TLC. However, some compounds which can present difficulty in separation by 2D-TLC (e.g., SLBPA and NAPE; or DOBPE and N-acetyl PE) were easily distinguished using (31)P NMR so the methods are complimentary. A disadvantage of 2D TLC is that Rf values can vary with different brands and batches of TLC plates. The chemical shifts of (31)P NMR were less variable, and so a library of standards may not be necessary for peak identification. Another advantage of (31)P NMR is the ease of quantification of phospholipids. The applicability of the methods was tested on natural extracts of fish brain and cabbage stem.