A note on the estimation of sphingomyelin in nervous tissue

The estimation of sphingomyelin in animal tissues is almost exclusively carried out by measuring the lipid phosphorus which is stable to mild alkaline and acid hydrolysis. Apart from sphingomyelin, all the known phospholipids are decomposed by incubating with N potassium hydroxide at 370 followed by standing at room temperature at an acid pH (Schmidt, Benotti, Hershman & Thannhauser, 1946). However, the work of Brante (1949) has suggested that certain kephalin fractions isolated from cerebral tissue contain some lipid phosphorus which is stable to mild alkaline and acid hydrolysis, although the fractions themselves contain no choline.