Open AccessDetection of mycobacterial lipids in skin biopsies from leprosy patients
Author(s) -
Venkatesan K.,
Minnikin D.E.,
Singh Harbans,
Ramu G.,
Bharadwaj V.P.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1987.tb02262.x
Subject(s) - glycolipid , hydrolysate , chemistry , hydrolysis , chromatography , leprosy , biochemistry , acid hydrolysis , glycan , fatty acid , biology , glycoprotein , immunology
Lipids were extracted from small skin biopsies obtained from 5 lepromatous leprosy patients by employing a procedure designed to produce separate non‐polar and polar fractions. The defatted tissue was subjected to alkaline hydrolysis and the total fatty acids in the hydrolysate were converted to methyl esters by a phase transfer reaction using iodomethane. The composition of free lipids and methyl esters of fatty acids was analysed by special thin‐layer chromatographic systems. The presence of dimycocerosates of phthiocerol A, phthiocerol B and phthiodiolone A, phenolic glycolipid‐I, two phosphatidyl inositol mannosides and 2 mycolates − alpha‐ and keto‐mycolate − was demonstrated using reference lipid samples.