Reactions of diazomethane with glycerolipids in the presence of serum or inorganic salts

Direct ultrasound-assisted methylation of fatty acids in serum for free fatty acid determinations

A method for simultaneous determination of 16 free fatty acids (FFAs) in serum is described. The method involves conversion of FFAs to fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) using the heat of ultrasonic waves followed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis. Optimum levels of the variables affecting the yield of FAMEs were investigated. The results indicate that the optimal levels are 55 °C, 60 W, 10% H2SO4/CH3OH, and 50 min. Recoveries ranged from 85.32% to 112.11%, with a detection limit ranging from 0.03 to 0.08 μg mL–1. The linearity, using the linear correlation coefficient, was higher than 0.9914.

Microwave-mediated analysis for sugar, fatty acid, and sphingoid compositions of glycosphingolipids

For chemical characterization of glycosphingolipids, it is necessary to determine the chemical compositions of three constituents, i.e., sugars, fatty acids, and sphingoids. A new rapid analytical method is described using a one-pot reaction in a household microwave oven, producing sugars, fatty acids, and especially sphingoids free of by-products, from a single aliquot of a biological sample. Glycosphingolipids were hydrolyzed by microwave exposure with 0.1 M NaOH/CH(3)OH for 2 min followed by 1 M HCl/CH(3)OH for 45 s. The alkaline methanolysis step produced intermediate lysoglycosphingolipids virtually free of by-products such as the O-methyl ethers usually seen. The fatty acid methyl esters were extracted with n-hexane, and other reaction products were dried, taken up in aqueous alkaline methanol, and shaken with chloroform. Sphingoids partitioned into the organic phase under these conditions, whereas the sugar portion that partitioned into the aqueous phase was re-N-acetylated and remethanolyzed for 30 s by microwave exposure. Analysis of the profiles of glycosphingolipid constituents obtained using the microwave oven method showed that they were quantitatively and qualitatively comparable to those obtained by time-consuming conventional methods, which require reaction for several hours. Analysis of the three constituents, including analysis by gas chromatography, may be obtained within 1 day using the method described here.

Alternative pathways of anandamide biosynthesis in rat testes

We have investigated the biosynthesis of long-chain N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) from endogenous substrates in rat testes membranes with special emphasis on anandamide (20:4n-6 NAE), a cannabinoid receptor agonist. Incubation of various membrane preparations with 5 mM Ca2+ produced both N-acyl phosphatidylethanolamine (N-acyl PE) and NAE with primarily (approximately 85%) N-palmitoyl groups (16:0 NAE) and less than 2% 20:4n-6 NAE. In contrast, incubation of these membranes with 5 mM EGTA and 10 mM ethanolamine had little effect on N-acyl PE composition but yielded NAEs whose major constituent (32-37%) was anandamide. Incubations with [1,1,2,2,-2H4]ethanolamine in media containing 40% H2(18)O showed that the Ca(2+)-independent NAE synthesis occurred by direct condensation of ethanolamine with free fatty acids present in the membrane preparation. This biosynthetic activity occurred at ethanolamine concentrations as low as 50 microM and exhibited substrate selectivity for arachidonate which increased with increasing ethanolamine concentrations. The results of inhibitor experiments suggest that the Ca(2+)-independent NAE synthesis was catalyzed by the NAE amidohydrolase acting in reverse. This condensation reaction could be important in agonist-induced anandamide synthesis for cell signalling through cannabinoid receptors.