Ceramides and sphingomyelin with 2-hydroxylated very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in rat testes and spermatozoa

ZANETTI, SR; AVELDAÑO MI

Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina

Congreso; XLII Reunion Anual de la Soc. Argentina de Investigación en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular; 2006

Soc. Arg. de Investigación en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular

CERAMIDES AND SPHINGOMYELIN WITH 2-HYDROXYLATED VERY LONG CHAIN POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS IN RAT TESTES AND SPERMATOZOA Zanetti SR;  and Aveldaño MI INIBIBB, CONICET-UNS, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina. Hydroxylation is an important modification of ceramide, considered the structural backbone of other sphingolipids. In mammals, 2-hydroxysphingolipids are present abundantly in nervous tissue because the major myelin lipids cerebroside contain saturated and monounsaturated 2-hydroxilated very long-chain fatty acids. This is the first report where ceramide containing sphingosine long-chain base present 2-hydroxylated very long polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLCPUFA) with 28 to 32 carbon atoms. Our result demonstrate that these fatty acids are in sphingomyelin and ceramide from rat testis and spermatozoa, but not in cerebroside which only have 6% of non-hydroxylated VLCPUFA. In testis, the content of ceramide and sphingomyelin with 2-hydroxylated VLCPUFA increased from 35 to 55 days of postnatal life, in the same manner as spermatogenesis took place and then remained constant in adult (sexual maturation). Moreover, the treatment of adults rats with doxorubicin, an antitumor drug, induced the lost of them concomitant with the disappearance of germ cells line. In the spermatozoa the content of ceramide with 2-hydroxylated VLCPUFA is higher than sphingomyelin. 2-hydroxylated VLCPUFA ceramide and sphingomyelin are exclusively of rat testes and spermatozoa, so is likely to play a significant role in male reproductive physiology.