Abstract
Extract: The fatty acids of total phosphoglycerides (TPG), ethanolamine phosphoglycerides (EPG), and choline phosphoglycerides (CPG) were obtained by mild alkaline transmethylation from lipid extracts of whole cerebrum and then analyzed by gas chromatography. A complete brain hemisphere from each of the 34 newborn infants reported previously was homogenized and its lipids extracted according to the procedure specified in that report. As the gestational age of the children went up, a statistically significant increase of the n-3/n-6 ratio and, especially, of the 22:4(n-6)/22:5(n-6) index was observed. Other ratios, such as the n-6/n-9 and the 18:0/18:1(n-9), were also studied in the fatty acid patterns of EPG and CPG. Both of them showed significant increases with the gestational age of the infants. The [22:4(n-6) + 22:5(n-6)]/20:4(n-6) index, an indicator of the elongation process of arachidonic acid, on the other hand, did not show appreciable changes with maturation in TPG during this period of life. When ethanolamine and choline phosphoglycerides were analyzed separately, however, the elongation of arachidonic acid did rise with the gestational age in the former whereas it decreased in the latter.
Speculation: As intrauterine maturation of the human brain progresses, changes in the polyunsaturated fatty acid patterns, contrary to those observed in undernourished animals, take place. Among these changes, the increase of the n-3 family fatty acids and the decrease of the 22:5(n-6), reported in humans during the entire life span, can already be found in such early stages of life as selected for this study and within so narrow a range of gestational ages.
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Martinez, M., Conde, C. & Ballabriga, A. Some Chemical Aspects of Human Brain Development. II. Phosphoglyceride Fatty Acids. Pediatr Res 8, 93–102 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197402000-00005
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197402000-00005
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