HIGH-RESOLUTION SEPARATION OF POLYUNSATURATED FATTY-ACIDS BY ARGENTATION THIN-LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY

A simple procedure is described for separating methyl esters of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) by argentation chromatography using silver nitrate-impregnated thin-layer chromatography plates. Esters are resolved into discrete classes containing 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 double bonds and within each of these groupings esters are separated according to chain length. All commonly encountered (n - 6)PUFAs from C18 to C22 are resolved from each other, as are all commonly encountered (n - 3)PUFAs from C18 to C22. The technique is particularly useful for metabolic studies of the chain elongation and further desaturation of PUFAs by separately incubating isolated cells with [1-C-14]18:2(n - 6) and [1-C-14]18:3(n - 3). R(F) values for individual PUFAs are very reproducible and recoveries of individual [C-14]PUFAs for radioassay exceed 90%.