Biochemistry of the eye. III. Lipids of the lens, cornea, iris, ciliary body, and retina.

IN STUDIES * of the vitreous humor it was noted that little, if any, lipid material was present. A review of the literature revealed extensive but questionable quantitative information on the lipid content of different parts of the eye. For the most part, the data that are available were obtained before the development of the present, more reliable techniques for extracting and fractionating the several types of lipids present in tissues. 3 Consequently, the present report deals with the quantitative evaluation of various lipid fractions in different parts of the eye. MATERIAL AND METHODS Eyes from freshly killed cattle were obtained at a nearby packing plant. They were transported to the laboratory in gallon Thermos jugs containing cracked ice. The various parts were dissected immediately and dried from the frozen state. The dried material was ground in a micro-Wiley mill and redried in a desiccator. The dried samples were suspended in