[Contents and patterns of gangliosides in the membranes of human erythrocytes].

10-20ml erythrocytes of 17 healthy subjects were separated from leukocytes by passage through cotton. The erythrocytes were haemolyzed in hypotonic buffer and the ghosts isolated by centifugation. Lipid extraction was performed and the gangliosides purified by molselect chromatography. Fractionation of gangliosides was carried out by thin layer chromatography. The quantitative and qualitative determination was performed by thin layer scanning with a High Speed TLC-Scanner Shimadzu CS 920. The sensitivity of the method was about 100 ng lipid bound neuraminic acids. The concentration of neuraminic acids in the total gangliosides was about 14 microgram/20 ml erythrocytes. The distribution of the 4 different ganglioside fractions which could be detected after staining with Svennerholm reagent were: GM3=16%, GM1=52%, GD1a=22%, GT1=90%.