An abnormal phospholipid in rat organs after ethanol treatment

Abstract

Interaction of ethanol with essential fatty acid (EFA) metabolism has been demonstrated in man [ 1,2] and in experimental animals [3,4]. Several laboratories have reported on the effects of ethanol on changed proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids in cell membranes [5,6,7]. In a series of experiments with ethanol and EFA we found increased concentrations of phospholipids in the brain of rats after 3 weeks of ethanol administration (3 g/kg body weight, daily intraperitoneal injections). This phospholipid increase was due to an increase of the acidic fraction of the phospholipids [4]. Examination of the proportions of individual neutral and acidic lipids by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) revealed the occurrence of an abnormal lipid fraction in organs from rats exposed to ethanol. This article is a report on the appearance of this abnormal lipid in various organs and the relation to the amount and duration of ethanol administration. Our currently available information on the chemical structure of the lipid is also given.