On the presence of plasmalogens in developing rat embryos

1. 1. Ethanolamine plasmalogens were found to constitute as much as 30% of the total 1,2-diradyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine in the early rat embryo. 2. 2. Qualitative and quantitative analysis revealed that the relative amount of ethanolamine phospholipid present in the rat embryo as ethanolamine-plasmalogen remained fairly constant during the period of organogenesis. 3. 3. Fetal brain was found to contain relatively more ethanolamine-plasmalogen that did fetal liver. 4. 4. Ethanolamine-plasmalogens extracted from early embryos contain relatively less 16:0 alk-1-enyl groups and relatively more 18:1 alk-1-enyl groups than did older embryos. 5. 5. These data substantiate the presence of ethanolamine-plasmalogens in the mammalian embryo.