LIPIDS OF THE RAT LIVER MITOCHONDRIAL MEMBRANE: EFFECT OF X-IRRADIATION

Technical Report · Tue Apr 11 04:00:00 EST 1961

OSTI ID:4018709

Jackson, K L; Entenman, C

An investigation of the lipids of the mitochondrial membrane from rat liver indicates that the mole % lipid composition of the membrane is cephalin 55%, lecithin 34%, cholesterol 3%, and glycerides 8%. The phosphatides are phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, and a small amount of phosphatidyl serine. The fatty acid composition of the membrane phospholipids were determined by gas chromatography. Evidence in the literature indicates that liver mitochondria are damaged as a result of whole-body irradiation. Data obtained in the present study show that irradiation does not cause a loss of any of the major classes of lipids from the mitochondrial membrane during the first 40 minutes following 1000 r whole-body x irradiation. Because x irradiation is known to destroy unsaturated fatty acids, it is of interest that there was no loss of unsaturated fatty acids from the membrane phospholipids. Rather, irradiation caused an increase in the amounts of the unsaturated fatty acids, linoleic and arachidonic acid, in the phosphatidyl choline fraction of the membrane. It is clear that whatever the mechanism is, whereby liver mitochondria are altered during an early period following irradiation, it does not involve major destruction of lipids in the mitochondrial membrane. (auth)

• Research Organization: Naval Radiological Defense Lab., San Francisco
• NSA Number: NSA-15-017933
• OSTI ID: 4018709
• Report Number(s): USNRDL-TR-504
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AMINES
ARACHIDONIC ACID
BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
BODY
IRRADIATION
LINOLEIC ACID
LIPIDS
LIVER
MEMBRANES
MITOCHONDRIA
ORGANIC ACIDS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION INJURIES
RATS
WHOLE-BODY IRRADIATION
X RADIATION