Serum phospholipids in bilharzial hepatic fibrosis and chronic active hepatitis.

The various serum phospholipid fractions were quantitated by thin layer chromatography in 33 patients with bilharzial hepatic fibrosis, 11 patients with chronic active hepatitis and 25 normal human subjects. In bilharzial hepatic fibrosis, the total serum phospholipid level showed a significant drop, while in chronic active hepatitis it was significantly elevated above the normal level of the controls. In both groups of patients, the percentage of phospholipids analyzed as lecithin was significantly elevated. The percentage of total phospholipids analyzed as sphingomyelin tended to be within the normal range of controls while the percentages of lysolecithin and cephalin fractions were significantly decreased. The increase in the relative percentage of lecithin with the simultaneous decrease of the relative percentage of lysolecithin was referred to the decrease of the lecithin-cholesterol acyl transferase enzyme activity in the plasma of these patients.