| Abstract: | A method for the HPLC separation of phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylcholine (PC), and sphingomyelin (SPH) was achieved using five in-series columns packed with LiChrosorb, Partisil, and μ-Porasil adsorbents, a solvent mixture of chloroform/methanol/ammonium hydroxide (50 : 36 : 6.7, by volume), and a Pye LCM2 Moving Wire (FID) detector. The same phospholipid mixture was also separated using four μ-Porasil columns with the same eluent and detector. The latter conditions were found to be suitable for the analysis of phospholipids obtained after centrifuging, extraction, and precipitation of surface-active lipid components of patient amniotic fluid collected at amniocentesis section. The lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) ratios, determined by the HPLC method, correlated well with those determined by the TLC technique in four normal pregnancies, whereas results of shake tests did not correlate too well with L/S ratios determined by the above two chromatographic methods. Besides the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio, the present method was able to supply additional information: the concentrations of phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylinositol, for prediction of fetal lung maturity, and the palmitic acid content of amniotic fluid phosphatidylcholine. |
