Lipid changes in cardiac hypertrophy as measured by silicic acid chromatography

¹ Department of Biochemistry, West Virginia University Medical Center, Morgantown, West Virginia

Cardiac hypertrophy was produced in adult, male albino rats by prolonged exposure to reduced atmospheric pressure. Total lipid extracts of the heart were made and the lipids were separated into seven fractions by silicic acid column chromatography. The purity of each fraction was determined by chemical analysis. Fractions II, IV, and VII were found to contain reasonably pure triglyceride, cholesterol, and phospholipid, respectively. Fractions I, III, V, and VI contained cholesterol ester, free fatty acid, diglyceride, and monoglyceride, respectively, but were contaminated with other lipid material. The hypertrophied hearts showed a reduction in percentage of total lipid but no change in the weight of total lipid per heart. As the heart increased in weight the phospholipid content increased and the weight of cholesterol decreased. These findings confirm previous observations that the phospholipid content of muscles increases with activity.