Altered composition of gangliosides in the erythrocyte membrane and in the plasma of alcoholic patients

: Gangliosides were isolated from plasma and membranes of erythrocytes of alcoholics. The pattern of gangliosides were compared with the data of healthy donors. Up to 7 fractions of gangliosides could been detected after extraction, purification by column chromatography and fractionation by TLC. In alcoholics the main ganglioside fractions of plasma GM3 were increased (52.6%) and GD3 were decreased (17.5%). The GM3 and GD1b fraction of erythrocytes membranes were decreased significantly in alcoholics.