Involvement of lysophospholipase D in the production of lysophosphatidic acid in rat plasma.

A vasoactive lipid present in rat plasma that had been incubated at 37 degrees C for 48 h was identified as lysophosphatidic acid with the following fatty acid composition: palmitic acid (25.2%), stearic acid (8.4%), oleic acid (7.0%), linoleic acid (44.4%) and arachidonic acid (11.9%). The involvement of lysophospholipase D in the production of lysophosphatidic acid was suggested on the basis of extensive analyses of phospholipids in the plasma. Results indicated that lysophospholipase D hydrolyzed polyunsaturated lysophosphatidylcholines preferentially to the saturated species. Exogenously added platelet activating factor was found to be first converted to its lyso derivative by an acetylhydrolase in rat plasma and then degraded by lysophospholipase D to 1-alkyllysophosphatidic acid to a similar extent with exogenously added lyso derivative of platelet activating factor; their percent conversions to lysophosphatidic acid were higher than those of saturated 1-acyllysophosphatidylcholines, but lower than those of polyunsaturated 1-acyllysophosphatidylcholines.