An Improved Method for Measuring the Incorporation of Palmitic Acid into Lung Lecithin

Abstract A procedure for measurement of phospholipid synthesis as an indication of the rate of renewal of the surface active lipoprotein lining the lung has been simplified and improved. The method depends on the enzymatic incorporation of radioactive palmitic acid into the lipids of lung slices incubated for 1 hour. The lipids were extracted, the phospholipid was isolated by thin layer chromatography, and radioactivity was assayed by liquid scintillation spectrophotometry. The range of fatty acid uptake in the lung of 15 normal rabbits was 0.35 to 0.55 μM per g per hour. Total phospholipid content, measured in the same animals, was not related to the level of phospholipid synthesis.