Molecular species of plant phosphatidylinositol with selective cytotoxicity towards tumor cells.

The molecular species of highly purified phosphatidylinositol from soybeans were determined as an aid in the investigation of the mechanism of their reported selective cytotoxicity towards tumor cells. Unlike the animal phosphatidylinositol, which contains predominantly stearic acid in the sn-1 and arachidonic in the sn-2 position (18:0 20:4), the soybean phosphatidylinositol was found to contain mainly linoleic acid in the sn-2 position and palmitic (16:0 18:2), stearic (18:0 18:2) and linoleic (18:2 18:2) acids in the sn-1 position of its molecular species.