Related Experiment Videos
Human crystalline lens phospholipid analysis with age.
T E Merchant1, J H Lass, P Meneses
1Pathologisch Instituut, Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science
|March 1, 1991
Summary
Human crystalline lens phospholipids change with age, with specific decreases in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) and increases in sphingomyelin (SPH). These age-related changes in membrane phospholipids can fingerprint lens maturation.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Biochemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- The human crystalline lens undergoes significant changes throughout life.
- Understanding the lipid composition of the lens is crucial for comprehending its aging process and potential pathologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related changes in the phospholipid profile of the human crystalline lens.
- To identify specific phospholipids and their concentrations that correlate with lens maturation.
Main Methods:
- Lipid extraction from human crystalline lenses (n=21, ages 20-79) using the Folch method.
- Analysis of extracted lipids via phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P NMR) at 202.4 MHz.
- Quantification of fourteen distinct membrane phospholipids, including phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE).
Main Results:
- Fourteen membrane phospholipids were detected, with an uncharacterized phospholipid (at 0.13 ppm) being the most abundant (43.20%).
- Age-correlated decreases were observed in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylcholine plasmalogen (PC plas), and phosphatidylcholine (PC) mole percentages.
- Sphingomyelin (SPH) mole percentage increased with age, alongside significant alterations in various phospholipid ratio indices.
Conclusions:
- Phosphorus-31 NMR is a viable technique for characterizing the phospholipid profile of the human crystalline lens.
- Specific age-dependent changes in lens membrane phospholipids, such as decreased PE and PC and increased SPH, are identifiable.
- These phospholipid alterations serve as reliable biomarkers for fingerprinting crystalline lens maturation and aging.