Separation procedures for phosphatidylserines

This paper reviews working procedures for the separation of phosphatidylserines (PS) in complex sample matrices. It begins with an introductory overview of important aspects of PS involvement in cellular lipid biochemistry. The main body of the review describes various procedures for the extraction, isolation, purification, and separation of the PS class and its molecular species in tissue samples. Published high-performance liquid chromatographic methods are summarized to demonstrate the variability and versatility of separation techniques. Factors influencing normal-phase and reversed-phase separations are delineated. The last section covers selected chemical derivatization procedures useful for enhancing the separation efficiency and detection sensitivity and specificity.