ANALYSIS OF TOTAL LIPID EXTRACTS FROM HUMAN LIVER BY C-13 AND H-1 NUCLEAR-MAGNETIC-RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY

Lipid extracts of liver tissue from normal donors and from patients wi th acute liver failure were analyzed by C-13 NMR and H-1 NMR at 9.4 T. The spectra allowed estimation of (i) the free fatty acid to total fa tty acid chains ratio, (ii) the polyunsaturated to monounsaturated lip ids ratio, (iii) the glycerophospholipids to triacylglycerols ratio, ( iv) the total cholesterol to total fatty acids molar ratio, (v) the ac ylcholesterol to cholesterol ratio, (vi) the phosphatidylcholine to ph osphatidylethanolamine molar ratio, and (vii) the unsaturation ratio o f the fatty acid chains. The values obtained for normal livers agree w ith literature data on lipid composition obtained by other techniques. The two pathologic livers differ from the normal in the composition o f some lipids and show a higher free fatty acid to total fatty acid ch ains ratio and a lower polyunsaturated to monounsaturated lipid ratio, a lower acylcholesterol to cholesterol ratio, and a lower phosphatidy lcholine to phosphatidylethanolamine ratio, whereas the ratio of total cholesterol to fatty acids and the unsaturation ratio remained unchan ged, The detailed assignment of the C-13 NMR spectra of lipid extracts from normal and pathologic human liver may contribute to direct futur e research programs on C-13 NMR spatially localized spectroscopy of th e liver in vivo. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.