The fatty acid composition of the major phosphoglycerides of ram and human spermatozoa

Abstract

The major individual phosphoglycerides of ram spermatozoa have specific fatty acid compositions, whereas human spermatozoan phosphoglycerides contain a similar pattern of fatty acids. The difference in the polyunsaturated:saturated fatty acid ratio of the spermatozoan phosphoglycerides between the two species were associated with the very high polyunsaturated fatty acid content of ram spermatozoan plasmalogens. The major unsaturated fatty acid of ram spermatozoa phospholipids, docosahexaenoic acid, was concentrated in the choline phosphoglycerides, whereas the chief saturates of ram and human spermatozoa, and docosahexaenoic acid in the latter, were largely located in the choline and ethanolamine diacylphosphoglycerides.