Isolation and purification of cardiolipin from beef heart

A simple and efficient procedure is described for the preparation of cardiolipin sodium salt from beef heart. A crude phospholipid fraction is isolated by chloroform-methanol extraction of the homogenized tissue, followed by acetone precipitation and reprecipitation in 4% aqueous CaCl2-methanol. Cardiolipin is separated from the calcium salts of the acidic phospholipids by partition column chromatography on silica gel (Polygosil 60-63100) using 2-propanol-cyclohexane-water 50:43:7 (v/v/v) as eluent. Further purification of the cardiolipin is achieved by high performance liquid chromatography of the calcium salt on silica gel (Lichrosorb Si 60-5) with a neutral eluent (2-propanol-cyclohexane-water 45:50:5 (v/v/v], followed by quantitative conversion to the sodium salt. The yield of this procedure is 1.5-2.1 g of pure 99% sodium salt of cardiolipin per kg of moist ventricular tissue.