The fatty acid composition of the lipids from bovine and porcine reproductive tissues

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Abstract
Beef and pork testes, graafian follicles and the residual ovaries were extracted and the lipids from each were separated into lipid classes by thin‐layer chromatography. The fatty acids from each class were analyzed as their methyl esters by gas‐liquid chromatography. The lipids from the reproductive tissues were found to be relatively rich in polyunsaturated acids, many of which did not correspond to the more commonly encountered unsaturated acids. These less familiar acids were identified by comparing their chromatographic characteristics with standards of established composition.The polyunsaturated acids of lipids of the reproductive tissues examined are predominantly of the linoleate family. Only in the phospholipids of ovarian tissues did the linolenate family of acids reach high proportions of the total polyunsaturates. Nine members of the linoleate family were identified in the lipids of reproductive tissues. Five higher metabolites of oleate were identified as normal components of these tissues. Diglycerides were found as a significant lipid class only in testis tissue. The diglycerides and cholesteryl esters of beef testis contain tetracosatetraenoic acid as major fatty acids. The triglycerides of reproductive tissues are notably rich in polyunsaturated acids. In the study, 16 polyunsaturated acids were identified by ozonolysis‐reduction and several others were tentatively identified by retention time data. Two acids, previously unreported, are 10,13,16‐docosatrienoic acid and 9,12,15,18‐tetracosatetraenoic acid.