The foetal and maternal lipids of romney sheep i. the composition of the lipids of the total tissues

Abstract The lipids of the total tissues of five foetal lambs at near term or newly born and of four maternal ewes were compared. It was found that the foetal tissues contained only 2.8–4.0% total lipids as compared with 32.3–42.5% found in the ewe tissues. The range of values for the lipids of the foetal and ewe tissues was respectively as follows: percentage phospholipids 14.3–20.8 and 1.3–2.5, percentage unsaponifiable matter 6.3–8.5 and 0.7–1.2, iodine value 58.1–64.5 and 46.3–53.6 and percentage ````trans`` acids 0.1–0.9 and 12.0–13.5. The phospholipids of the foetus were found to consist of phosphatidyl choline 44.6%, lysophosphatidyl choline 4.7%, phosphatidyl ethanolamine 22.1%, phosphatidyl serine 7.5%, phosphatidyl inositol 3.9%, sphingomyelin 11.2% and unidentified 6.0%. The values for the corresponding phospholipids of the ewe were 41–7%, 3–2%, 28.2%, 6.7%, 3.3%, 11.2% and 5.7%. The close agreement in composition of the phospholipids of the foetus and the maternal ewe suggested that the tissues had similar enzyme systems concerned with phospholipid synthesis.