[Lipid composition of human malignant brain tumors]

Malignant transformation is characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of cells. And changes in the composition of glycolipids, cell surface component which may be involved in regulation of cell growth, were often observed in the malignant transformation. In this study, cholesterol, lipid-bound phosphorus, cerebroside, sulfatide and ganglioside were quantitated in the tissue of 20 human malignant brain tumors (malignant glioma, 8; low grade glioma, 4; metastatic tumor, 7; malignant meningioma, 1). As compared with normal brain, all tumor tissue contained lower cholesterol, sialic acid, cerebroside and sulfatide. Metastatic brain tumor or glioma showed characteristic patterns in the content of ganglioside, cerebroside and sulfatide respectively. The ganglioside patterns of metastatic tumor or glioma contained a greater proportion of structurally simpler gangliosides than normal brain. And in metastatic tumor, GM3 was a major ganglioside. On the contrary, glioma had increased proportion of GM3 and GD3 gangliosides. High grade glioma such as Grade 3-4 contained higher proportion of GM3 and GD3, whereas low grade glioma (Grade 1-2) contained less proportion of GM3 and GD3.