The effects of choice of solvent and period of extraction on recovery
of phospholipid classes extracted from rat erythrocyte membranes were
investigated. For extraction of phosphatidylserine (PS) the best recov
ery was achieved using chloroform-methanol (2: 1, v/v), for diacyl pho
sphatidylethanolamine (PE) acetone-isopropanol (3:2, v/v), and for ext
raction of plasmalogen PE, phosphatidylcholine (PC) and sphingomyelin
(SM) using hexane-isopropanol (3:2, v/v). Using hexane-isopropanol (3:
2, v/v), boiling during the extraction increased the recovery of some
of the individual phospholipid classes whereas mechanical treatment of
the sample had only a slight effect. Furthermore, the fatty acid comp
osition of PS and PE varied most with different extraction conditions
and the phospholipid classes PC and SM were extracted more readily fro
m rat erythrocyte membranes than PS, diacyl and plasmalogen PE.