A modified procedure for thin-layer chromatography of phospholipids

Abstract

We have found that when lipid samples from a variety of tissues are run on EDTA-impregnated plates in a solvent system which contains a reduced amount of acetic acid and water compared with that used by Skipski et al. (1964. Biochem. J. 90: 374-378), there is a clear separation among sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidate. This modified procedure appears to offer significant advantages over the original method described by Skipski et al. particularly for studies of the metabolism of anionic phospholipids.