Radioassay of lipid components separated by thin-layer chromatography

n Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) as described by Stahl et al. (l) has received widespread use in the separation of lipids.Malins and Mangold ( 2 ) have reported a system for the separation of a complex mixture of lipids.Recently, Privett et al.(3) have reported a procedure employing three solvent systems for the separation of mono-, di-, and triglycerides.We have been interested in the separation of glycerides and fatty acids and, in addition, the quantification of radioactivity in each fraction.The present report describes a method by which these classes of compounds may be separated by TLC and their radioactivity determined by liquid scintillation counting methods.Palmitic acid, oleic acid, diolein, tripalmitin, cholesterol, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, and sphingomyelin were obtained from commerical sources.The 1,2-and l13-dipalmitin were gifts from Dr.