[Cerebrosides and sulfocerebrosides in the brain of the macaque Macaca fascicularis].

The content of cerebrosides and sulfocerebrosides has been determined in the whole brain, in the gray and white matter of the cerebral hemispheres of the macaque. Fatty acid composition and long chain bases of these sphingolipids in the whole brain were also investigated. The species studied belongs to the order of higher primates, the family of lower Old World monkeys. In the whole brain, rather high content of both sphingolipids was found, the cerebral white matter being the richer. Cerebrosides with hydroxy acids predominate in the whole brain, in the white and gray matter. Cerebrosides of the whole brain contain mainly palmitic and stearic acids and relatively small amounts of C24 normal fatty acids. In sulfocerebrosides, the proportion of palmitic and stearic acids is lower and that of C24 normal fatty acids--larger, as compared to cerebrosides. In both sphingolipids, the content of saturated hydroxy acids, mainly cerebronic acid, is rather high. Among the long chain bases, only sphingenine and sphinganine were detected the former being predominant. Sphingolipids from the brain of the macaque were compared to these from the human brain.