These may be further subdivided into cerebrosides and gangliosides

It is a phospholipid found in mitochondria (inner membrane) and bacterial wall. It is formed from phosphatidylglycerol. Its structure is as follows:

Plasmalogens are present in brain, nervous tissue, muscles, and mitochondria.

Large accumulation of sphingomyelins may occur in brain, liver, and spleen and lead to a disease called Niemann-Pick disease. Inheritance: Autosomal recessive. Enzyme defect: Deficiency of the enzyme sphingomyleinase, which cannot degraded sphingomyelin in the body; as a result, large amount of sphingomyelin accumulates in tissues and organs of the body, specially in liver, spleen, and brain.

Sphingomyelins differ radially from cephalin in composition. They are found in brain and nerve tissues. They contain fatty acid, phosphoric acid, choline, and a complex amino alcohol sphingosine or sphingol. Fatty acid is attached to the amino group of sphingosine by amide linkage. The phosphoric acid is attached to one of the hydroxyl group of…

They play an important role in the mechanism of coagulation of blood. Thromboplastin, which is an important factor in coagulation of blood, is a phospholipid.

It is found to occur in brain tissues, nervous tissues, soya bean, and wheatgerm. Inositol is an alcohol and a cyclic compound hexahydroxycyclohexane with molecular formula C6H12O6. Its structure is as follows:

This compound contains amino acid serine instead of ethanolamine. It is found in brain tissues; traces are detected in blood also. Its structure is as follows: