CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF SOME MOSS SPECIES

Abstract

  The composition of total lipids, polar lipids, phospholipids and fatty acids from three moss species was studied. The major phospholipid classes found were phosphatidylcholine (from 25.2 to 72.2%), phosphatidylglycerol (from 7.2 to 28.9%) and phosphatidylethanolamine (from 7.9 to 21.5%). Diacylglyceryltrimethylhomoserine was found in all moss species from 5.9 to 11.9%. The fatty acid composition of mosses was examined by way of capillary GC-MS in the neutral lipid, glycolipid and phospholipid fractions. 61 fatty acids in neutral lipids, 70 fatty acids in glycolipids and 73 fatty acids in phospholipids were identified. The neutral lipid fraction from Anomodon viticulosus yielded 11.7% acetylenic fatty acids among which, some unusual, rarely occurring acids were identified, i.e. 9a, 12-18 : 2, 6a,9, 12, 15-18 : 4 and 8a, 11, 14-20 : 3.