Total lipid and membrane lipid analysis of normal animal and human lenses.

Comparisons of lens fiber cell membrane isolation methods were made. Although membrane lipid yield from stirring overnight in hypotonic medium followed by low-speed centrifugation was comparable to that from homogenization and high-speed centrifugation, losses in phosphatidyl ethanolamine were observed with the former method. Lyophilization with vacuum replacement by nitrogen did not exert any deleterious effects. A significant difference in total lens lipid was observed between human and the three species of animals investigated.