Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of dietary linolenate on the fatty acid composition of brain lipids in rats

  • Published:
Lipids

Abstract

Weanling male rats were fed hydrogenated coconut oil to induce essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency. After 15 weeks, the rats were divided into six groups. Five groups were fed graded amounts of purified linolenate (18∶3ω3) with a constant amount of linoleate (18∶2ω6) for six weeks. Fatty acid composition was determined in brain lipids. Increasing dietary 18∶3ω3 resulted in a decrease in arachidonic acid (20∶4ω6), docosatetraenoic acid (22∶4ω6) and docosapentaenoic acid (22∶5ω6), whereas 18∶2ω6 and eicosatrienoic acid (20∶3ω6) were increased both in total lipids and phospholipids. These results suggest that dietary 18∶3ω3 exerts its inhibitory effect mainly on the desaturation of 20∶ω6 to 20∶4ω6 in brain lipids. Linolenate was undetectable in brain lipids from any dietary treatments. The levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (20∶5ω3) in groups receiving dietary 18∶3ω3 were not different from that of the group receiving no 18∶3ω3. These results indicate that, in the brain, 18∶3ω3 is rapidly converted mainly to 22∶6ω3 without being accumulated and imply that dietary 18∶3ω3 can modulate the level of precursor of diene prostaglandins (PG) but not that of triene PG in the rat brain.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Samuelsson, B. (1970)Lipid Metabolism (Wakil, S., ed.) pp. 107–153, Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Holman, R.T., and Rahm, J.J. (1964)J. Nutr. 84, 15–19.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Holman, R.T. (1964)Fed. Proc. 23, 1062–1067.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Holman, R.T., and Mohrhauer, H. (1963)J. Lipid Res. 4,151–159.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Mohrhauer, H., and Holman, R.T. (1963)J. Nutr. 81, 67–74.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Galli, C., Spagnuolo, C., Bosisio, E., Tosi, L., Folio, G.C., and Galli, G. (1978) inAdvances in Prostaglandin, Thromboxane, and Leukotriene Research Vol. 4: Prostaglandins and Perinatal Medicine (Coceani, F., and Olley, P.M., eds.) pp. 181–189, Raven Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Hwang, D.H., and Carroll, A.E. (1980)Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 33, 590–597.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Marshall, L.A., and Johnson, P.V. (1982)Lipids 17, 905–913.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Bang, H.O., Dyerberg, J., and Horne, N. (1975)Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 28, 958–966.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Bang, H.O., and Dyerberg, J. (1979)Lancet ii, 433–435.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Bang, H.O., Dyerberg, J., Moncada, S., Stofferson, G., and Vane, J.R. (1978)Lancet ii, 117–119.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Breckenridge, W.C., Morgan, I.G., Vincendon, G., and Zanetta, J.P. (1973)Biochim. Biophys. Acta 320, 681–686.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Babcock, R., Hincenbergs, I., Medwadowski, B., Miljanich, P., and Tinoco, J. (1977)Lipids 13, 6–17.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Svennerholm, L. (1968)J. Lipid Res. 9, 570–579.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Mohrhauer, H., and Holman, R.T. (1963)J. Neurochem. 10, 523–530.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Folch, J., Lees, M., and Sloane-Stanley, G.H. (1957)J. Biol. Chem. 226, 497–500.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Vitiello, F., and Zanetta, J.P. (1978)J. Chromatogr. 166, 637–640.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Chanmugam, P., Hwang, D.H., and LeBlanc, P. (1981)Lipids 16, 583–588.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Brown, M.L., Marshall, L.A., and Johnston, P.V. (1984)J. Neurochem. 43, 1392–1400.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Aftergood, L., and Alfin-Slater, R.B. (1968)Physiol. Rev. 48, 758–783.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Dhopeshwarkar, G.A., and Subramanian, C. (1975)Lipids 10, 238–241.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human Nutrition, Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, 70803, Baton Rouge, LA

    Roberta H. Anding & Daniel H. Hwang

Authors
  1. Roberta H. Anding
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Daniel H. Hwang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

About this article

Cite this article

Anding, R.H., Hwang, D.H. Effects of dietary linolenate on the fatty acid composition of brain lipids in rats. Lipids 21, 697–701 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02537243

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02537243

Keywords

Search

Navigation