Rapid determination of lipids in healthy human lymphocytes

Lipids of human lymphocytes were determined from 20 ml of heparinized peripheral blood using thin-layer chromatography with a flame ionization detector, and gas chromatography. The weight per cent and microgram per 10(6) lymphocytes for cholesterol ester, triglyceride, free cholesterol and phospholipid were 11.1 and 5.2, 18.1 and 17.9, 15.1 and 8.5, and 55.7 and 44.2, respectively. Phospholipid was the major lipid component in human lymphocytes. Phospholipid was subfractionated into phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol plus phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin in amounts of 25.2, 6.1, 46.9 and 22.9%, respectively. Total fatty acid composition was analyzed as: C14:0, 13.3%; C16:0, 20.9%; C16:1, 6.5%; C18:0, 19.6%; C18:1, 18.8%: C18:2, 7.1%; and C20:4, 12.3%. Higher cholesterol ester and triglyceride and lower C14:0 were characteristic of female lymphocytes when compared with male lymphocytes. The lipid composition quantitated by this method corresponded well with previously reported data. Thus, this method can be used clinically because of its simplicity and higher sensitivity.