[Comparative study of phospholipids in the neurons and glial cells of the brains of mammals, birds and reptiles].

Studies have been made on total content of phospholipids and relative content of various phospholipid families in neuronal and glial fractions obtained from the brain cortex of albino rat and brain hemispheres of the pigeon Columba livia and tortoise Testudo horsfieldi, as well as in oligodendroglial fraction of centrum semiovale and corpus callosum of the brain of rabbits. It was shown that in all the animals studied, the total glial fraction is approximately twice as rich in phospholipids as the neuronal one. With respect to the quantity of phospholipids, glial fraction is similar to the homogenate. Relative content of various phospholipid families in the homogenate and the cellular fractions is approximately identical. Yet, some differences were found between various fractions, as well as between the homologous fractions obtained from representatives of different classes. In all animals investigated, the neuronal fraction exhibits higher phosphatydylinositol content than the glial one. Pigeon neurons have higher level of phosphatydylinositol and lower level of phosphatydyl serine, as compared to rat and tortoise neurons. Glial fraction of rats contains significantly less sphingomyelin, than that of pigeons and tortoises. With respect to phospholipid composition, oligodendroglial fraction differs from total glial one and from neuronal fraction, being also different from the myelin.