The nutritional value for human retina of lipids in Gou Qi Zi

Authors

  • Lei Zhou Singapore Eye Research Institute, The National University of Singapore, Singapore.
  • Josephine Ngai Department of Ophthalmology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
  • Ivan Leung Department of Ophthalmology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
  • Mark OM Tso The Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
  • Kwok-wai Lam Singapore Eye Research Institute, The National University of Singapore, Singapore.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12809/hkjo-v4n1-131

Abstract

Aims: To investigate whether Gou Qi Zi contains sufficient carotenoids and fatty acids to supply the special lipid requirements of the human retina.

Materials and methods: Lipids were extracted from Gou Qi Zi by ethanol-hexane, then separated on a silica column and eluted by dioxane-hexane. The eluant was monitored by a photodiode array detector followed by a mass spectrometry detector.

Results: Before hydrolysis, only one pigmented lipid was detected in the chromatogram. The molecular size was identical to that of dipalmityl zeaxanthin. The major non-pigmented lipids have the molecular size of triglycerides and diglycerides. After hydrolysis, a marked increase in oleic, linoleic acid, and long chain fatty acids with 22 and 24 carbons was observed.

Conclusion: The lipid content in Gou Qi Zi matches the specific requirements of the human retina for long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and zeaxanthin.

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Published

2000-12-01

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2000)

Section

Leading Article

License

The Journal has a fully Open Access policy and publishes all articles under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. For any use other than that permitted by this license, written permission must be obtained from the Journal.

How to Cite

1.
The nutritional value for human retina of lipids in Gou Qi Zi. Hong Kong J Ophthalmol [Internet]. 2000 Dec. 1 [cited 2026 Jul. 26];4(1):8-14. Available from: https://www.hkjo.hk/index.php/hkjo/article/view/131

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