[Isolation, identification and quantitative determination of lysolecithin in the human gastric juice]

Lysolecithin was isolated and identified from the gastric contents of 5 patients with gastric ulcer and erosive and atrophic gastritis. The methods used involved methanolic extration, column chromatography on silica gel and sephadex gel filtration, followed by preparative thin layer chromatography. Identification of lysolecithin was verified in one sample by thin layer chromatography and elementary analysis. A method for quantitation of lysolecithin in human gastric fluid for routine clinical analysis is described, based on the procedure used for identification of this phospholipid. Further, a hemolysis test is proposed for screening gastric contents for lysolecithin concentrations above approximately 10 mg/100 ml. With the quantitative method, an average concentration of 66.1 mg of lysolecithin in 100 ml gastric content was found in the group of 5 patients. The screening test was positive in all 5 samples, but was negative with native gastric juice in 25 persons serving as controls. When the gastric fluid of the controls was concentrated, however, 9 samples gave a positive hemolytic reaction. From these 9 specimens, the lysolecithin concentration was found to average 0.9 mg/100 ml. These findings afford evidence that lysolecithin may be involved as a factor in the pathogenesis of gastric ulceration.