The preparative separation of sialic acid-containing lipids from sulphate group-containing glycolipids from small intestine of different animals. Analysis by thin-layer chromatography and detection of novel species.

Acidic glycolipids (gangliosides and glycolipid sulphates) were purified from non-glycolipid contaminants by silicic acid chromatography of their acetylated derivatives. Acetylation converted gangliosides into non-polar neutral and weakly acidic derivatives. These were separated from acetylated sulphate-containing glycolipids by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. The fractions thus isolated from small intestine of 7 different animals were analyzed by thin-layer chromatography. This revealed a considerable species-related variation of both gangliosides and sulphoglycolipids. Mass spectrometry demonstrated a novel ganglioside in guinea-pig small intestine and a novel sulphoglycolipid in mouse small intestine.