Clinical and experimental study on fatty acid composition of bone marrow lipid in hematologic disorders.

The fatty acid composition of bone marrow lipid was studied in 10 normal individuals and in 90 patients with a hematologic disorders. Simultaneously , the fatty acid composition of bone marrow was studied in rabbits and dogs which were injected with nitromin and cortisone, and others which were irradiated and subjected to periodic venesection. The fatty acid composition of normal human bone marrow consisted mainly of saturated and unsaturated fatty acid ranging from lauric acid to arachi-donic acid. The predominant fatty acids were as follows: oleic acid 35.2 ±4.9%, palmitic acid 27.8±2.5%, linoleic acid 15.3±2.9%, palmitoleic acid 8.1±2.7%, stearic acid 6.3±1.4%. Lauric, myristic, linolenic, ara-chidonic acid were also present but in smaller amounts. In the patients with hematologic disorders, the fatty acid. composition of bone marrow were variable. In the experimental study, the certain changes of fatty acid composition of the bone marrow were observed, but in adipose tissue similar variation were not observed. The conclusion drawn from this study were: (1) all hematologic disorders were accompanied by the abnormalities of fatty acid metabolism in the bone marrow, and (2) bone marrow, lipid had, in addition to its function as fat stores, protection of tissue, and filling of tissue interstices, an active role in hematopoiesis.