Long chain polyenoic acid levels in viably sorted, highly enriched mouse testis cells

Abstract
Twenty-and 22-carbon fatty acids of the linoleic (n-6) and linolenic (n-3) acid families were measured in murine spermatogonia and preleptotene spermatocytes (early), pachytene primary spermatocytes (10) round spermatids (RS), condensing spermatids (CS) and Leydig cells enriched by staput velocity sedimentation at 1 G, followed by viable microflow sorting on the basis of light scatter and DNA content. 22: 5(n-6) increased progressively from 2 to 20% of total fatty acid in the progression of germinal cell differentiation, early »10»RS»CS, but decreased in mature sperm. The precursor 20:4(n-6) showed a roughly reciprocal relationship. 22:6(n-3) showed no significant correlation with cell type. 22:5(n-6) was found highest in triglycerides of later differentiation stages whereas 20:4(n-6) and 22:6(n-3) were found primarily in phospholipid in all cell fractions.