Phospholipid composition of guinea pig lung lavage.

Phospholipids from guinea pig lung lavage were analyzed. The total lavage phospholipid content was 2.65 + 0.67 mg per gram of lung, which accounted for 85% of the total lipids in lung wash. Phosphatidylcholine (PC) accounted for over 60% of the total phospholipids. The other phospholipid fractions, in order of predominance, were phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylserine (PS), sphingomyelin (SPH), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and lysophosphatidyl-choline (LPC). Disaturated phosphatidylcholine (DSPC) comprised 80% of the total PC, and it contained mostly palmitic acid. The DSPC content of the lung lavage fluid per square meter of alveolar surface area was 5.76 +/- 0.42 mg.