Characterization of alkylgalactolipids from calf brain by high performance liquid chromatography

Minor nonpolar galactolipids were isolated from the total lipids of calf brain stem by column chromatography and were separated by preparative thin-layer chromatography into four groups. The material recovered from the bottom band of the thin-layer chromatography consisted of monogalactosyl diglyceride and its 1-0-alkyl isomer, alkylgalactolipid, present in a molar ratio of 11:9. After perbenzoylation, they were separated by preparative thin-layer chromatography and characterized. The fatty acid compositions of these lipids were similar to each other and to those of the ester-linked fatty acids of cerebroside esters. The major alkyl group of alkylgalactolipid was palmityl, and the other, minor componenents were oleyl, myristyl, and stearyl ethers. Perbenzoylated derivatives of these lipids were further separated by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. The chromatograms from these two lipids were similar; however, most of the peaks were still mixtures of homologs containing different fatty acids or an alkyl group.