Chromatographic purification and serologic studies of a beef heart lecithin.

The flocculation tests currently used for the serodiagnosis of syphilis involve the use of an aqueous emulsion of cholesterol, beef heart lecithin, and cardiolipin which undergoes aggregation when treated with Wassermann antibody (1). The r81e of cholesterol in ihis reaction has been depicted as providing a particulate surface which enhances the visibility of the aggregates formed by the antigen-antibody reaction (2). However, the function of the two phospholipides has not yet been clearly defined. Before undertaking further immunological studies on the r61e of lecithin and cardiolipin, an attempt was made to ascertain the purity of these two phospholipides, as prepared customarily for serologic use. Chromatograms of several preparations of beef heart lecithin on Magnesol-Celite indicated the presence of more than one component. The present report describes the isolation of a chromatographically homogeneous, immunologically active lecithin from beef heart lecithin prepared commercially for serologic tests.