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Metabolism of dietary α-linolenic acid vs. eicosapentaenoic acid in rat immune cell phospholipids during endotoxemia

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Lipids

Abstract

Short-term (i.e., 3 d) continuous enteral feeding of diets containing eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and γ-linolenic (GLA) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to endotoxemic rats reduces the levels of arachidonic acid (AA) and linoleic acid (LA) in alveolar macrophage (AM) and liver Kupffer and endothelial (K&E) cell phospholipids with attendant decreases in prostaglandin formation by these cells in vitro. Diets that contain α-linolenic acid (LNA) as a substrate for endogenous formation of EPA may not be as effective in facilitating these immune cell modifications given the limited activity of Δ6 desaturase. In the present study we compared the effectiveness of an LNA-enriched diet vs. an (EPA+GLA)-enriched diet to displace phospholipid AA from AM and liver K&E cells in vivo in endotoxemic rats fed enterally for 3 or 6 d. We determined the fatty acid composition of AM and K&E cell phospholipids by gas chromatography. We found that AM and K&E cells from rats that had received the EPA+GLA diet for 3 d had significantly (P<0.001) higher mole percentage of EPA and the GLA metabolite, dihomoGLA, than corresponding cells from rats given the LNA diet or a control diet enriched with LA. Rats given the LNA diet had relatively low levels of stearidonic acid, EPA and other n−3 PUFA, while rats given the LA diet had low levels of GLA and dihomoGLA. We conclude that diets enriched with LNA or LA may not be as effective as those enriched with FPA+GLA for purposes of fostering incorporation of EPA or dihomoGLA into and displacement of AA from macrophage phospholipids under pathophysiologic conditions commonly found in acutely septic patients.

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Abbreviations

AA:

arachidonic acid

AM:

alveolar macrophage

DHA:

docosahexaenoic acid

DHGLA:

dihomo-γ-linolenic acid

DPA:

docosapentaenoic acid

EPA:

eicosapentaenoic acid

GLA:

γ-linolenic acid

K&E:

Kupffer and endothelial

LA:

linoleic acid

LNA:

α-linolenic acid

PBS:

phosphate buffered saline

PGE1 :

prostaglandin E1

PUFA:

polyunsaturated fatty acids

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Surgery and Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, 21-27 Burlington Ave., 02215, Boston, Massachusetts

    John D. Palombo, Patricia J. Boyce, R. Armour Forse & Bruce R. Bistrian

  2. Ross Products Division, Abbott Laboratories, 43215, Columbus, Ohio

    Stephen J. DeMichele

  3. Scirex Corporation, 60108, Bloomingdale, Illinois

    Mojtaba Noursalehi

Authors
  1. John D. Palombo
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  2. Stephen J. DeMichele
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  3. Patricia J. Boyce
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  4. Mojtaba Noursalehi
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  5. R. Armour Forse
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  6. Bruce R. Bistrian
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Correspondence to John D. Palombo.

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Palombo, J.D., DeMichele, S.J., Boyce, P.J. et al. Metabolism of dietary α-linolenic acid vs. eicosapentaenoic acid in rat immune cell phospholipids during endotoxemia. Lipids 33, 1099–1105 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-998-0311-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-998-0311-x

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