One-dimensional thin-layer chromatographic separation of the lipids involved in arachidonic acid metabolism.

A one-dimensional thin-layer chromatographic separation technique is described that separates the phospholipids and neutral lipids that are principally involved in arachidonic acid metabolism from each other, and from arachidonic acid and its eicosanoid derivatives. The technique is useful in studies on changes in arachidonic acid metabolism following cell stimulation. Balance sheets may be drawn up between the loss of radioactivity from phospholipids, and the gain in free fatty acid, eicosanoids, and esterified lipids of the phosphatidylinositol cycle.