Stereospecific analysis of fatty acid esters of chloropropanediol isolated from fresh goat milk

Abstract

The fatty acid esters of chloropropanediol isolated from goat milk fat in small quantities were subjected to a stereospecific analysis via phospholipase C and phosphocholine esters as intermediates. Synthetic rac-1-chloro-2,3-dioleoyl-propanediol was prepared by standard methods and was used as a control. The stereospecific analyses were performed following a release of the fatty acids from the primary positions of each chloropropanediol diester with pancreatic lipase. The resulting X-1-chloro-2-acylpropanediols were then converted into the corresponding phosphocholine derivatives by a stepwise reaction with phosphorus oxychloride and choline chloride. The X-1-chloro-2-acyl-3-phosphocholinepropanediols were subjected to hydrolysis with phospholipase C (C. perfringens), which hydrolyzed 50% of the phosphatide within two min and the rest of it in two hr. From previous experience with glycerol esters, it was assumed that the more rapidly hydrolyzed molecules were the sn-1-chloro-2-acyl-propanediol derivatives and the more slowly hydrolyzed ones the sn-2-acyl-3-chloropropanediol derivatives. A hydrolysis with phospholipase A2 (Crotalus adamanteus) released 50% of the total fatty acid along with the corresponding lyso compound within 10 min, after which there was no further reaction. The hydrolysis products were assayed directly by gas liquid chromatography (GLC) or were isolated by thin layer chromatography (TLC) prior to quantitation by GLC. Both naturally occurring and synthetic chloropropanediol diesters behaved similarly on stereospecific analysis and were therefore concluded to be racemic.