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Dietary α-linolenic acid increases brain but not heart and liver docosahexaenoic acid levels

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Lipids

Abstract

Fish oil-enriched diets increase n−3 FA in tissue phospholipids; however, a similar effect by plant-derived n−3 FA is poorly defined. To address this question, we determined mass changes in phospholipid FA, individual phospholipid classes, and cholesterol in the liver, heart, and brain of rats fed diets enriched in flax oil (rich in 18∶3n−3), fish oil (rich in 22∶6n−3 and 20∶5n−3), or safflower oil (rich in 18∶2n−6) for 8 wk. In the heart and liver phospholipids, 22∶6n−3 levels increased only in the fish oil group, although rats fed flax oil accumulated 20∶5n−3 and 22∶5n−3. However, in the brain, the flax and fish oil diets increased the phospholipid 22∶6n−3 mass. In all tissues, these diets decreased the 20∶4n−6 mass, although the effect was more marked in the fish oil than in the flax oil group. Although these data do not provide direct evidence for 18∶3n−3 elongation and desaturation by the brain, they demonstrate that 18∶3n−3-enriched diets reduced tissue 20∶4n−6 levels and increased cellular n−3 levels in a tissuedependent manner. We hypothesize, based on the lack of increased 22∶6n−3 but increased 18∶3n−3 in the liver and heart, that the flax oil diet increased circulating 18∶3n−3, thereby presenting tissue with this EFA for further elongation and desaturation.

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Abbreviations

18∶1n−9:

oleic acid

18∶2n−6:

linoleic acid

18∶3n−3:

α-linolenic acid

20∶3n−9:

Mead acid

20∶4n−6:

arachidonic acid

20∶5n−3:

eicosapentaenoic acid

22∶5n−3:

docosapentaenoic acid

22∶5n−6:

docosapentaenoic acid n−6

22∶6n−3:

docosahexaenoic acid

CerPCho:

sphingomyelin

ChoGpl:

choline glycerophospholipids

EtnGpl:

ethanolamine glycerophospholipids

PlsCho:

1-O-alkyl-1′-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine

PlsEtn:

1-O-alkyl-1′-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine

Ptd2Gro:

cardiolipin

PtdIns:

phosphatidylinositol

PtdOH:

phosphatidic acid

PtdSer:

phosphatidylserine

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Nutritional Science, University of Texas, 78712, Austin, Texas

    Lauren W. Collison & Christopher A. Jolly

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of North Dakota, 58202-9037, Grand Forks, North Dakota

    Eric J. Murphy

  3. Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Therapeutics School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, 501 N. Columbia Rd., Room 3700, 58202-9037, Grand Forks, ND

    Gwendolyn Barceló-Coblijn & Eric J. Murphy

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  1. Gwendolyn Barceló-Coblijn
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  3. Christopher A. Jolly
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Correspondence to Eric J. Murphy.

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Barceló-Coblijn, G., Collison, L.W., Jolly, C.A. et al. Dietary α-linolenic acid increases brain but not heart and liver docosahexaenoic acid levels. Lipids 40, 787–798 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-005-1440-y

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