Lipids in the walls and contents of jaw cysts

abstract – The amount and composition of lipid in 129 walls of jaw cyst and 18 pieces of cyst contents was determined by thin-layer chromatography. The proportions of the fractions (i.e. phospholipid, free cholesterol, cholesteryl ester, triglyceride, free fatty acids) were compared with corresponding values (collected from the literature) from the superficial layers of normal and atherosclerotic aortas. The amounts of total lipid and of the fractions were comparable. Concomitant with an increasing amount of lipid, there was a rise in the ratio: total cholesterol/phospholipid. In the aortic lesions this increase of cholesterol was due to a rise in the fraction of cholesteryl ester. In the cyst material, the increase was due to a rise in the free cholesterol. A possible explanation is discussed.