Fatty Acid Composition of Lipids from Leaves and Strobila of Cycas Revoluta (Cycas revoluta)

Abstract

Fatty acid (FA) composition of lipids from leaves and differentiated fleshy strobila tissues and sporangia with spores of Cycas (Cycas revoluta Thumb.) after their step quantitative extraction from plant material was investigated. Quantitative content and qualitative composition of FAs of extractable and nonextractable leaf lipids were determined. It was established that flesh lipids of sporophylls are characterized by a high saturation level and contain a considerable proportion of saturated FAs with the usual chain length (C₁₂–C₁₈, 53–57%). At the same time, total amount of etherified FAs with a very long chain in lipids not extractable by the method of Zhukov and Vereshchagin exceeds several times that found in extractable lipids (~15 and ~4%, respectively). Neutral lipids of Cycas spores were represented by triacylglycerols, the lower-alkyl esters of FAs, free FAs, and sterol esters.