BRAIN LIPID MODIFICATIONS INDUCED BY ESSENTIAL FATTY ACID DEFICIENCY IN GROWING MALE AND FEMALE RATS

Abstract

Abstract —Essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency initiated in rats prior to birth and continued for one year affects brain lipids to an extent which differs in the two sexes. It was found that: (1) Brain weight and lipid content were decreased in deficient conditions, especially in males. (2) Total phospholipids were present in lower concentrations, particularly in the deficient male brain, while the percentage of the major phospholipid classes‐ethanolamine phosphoglyceride (EPG), choline phosphoglyceride (CPG) and serine phosphoglyceride (SPG) did not change. (3) Brain EPG, CPG and SPG had distinctive fatty acid patterns differing greatly in polyunsaturation content. PE acids of control females had elevated monoenes and reduced saturates in comparison with control males. This sex difference was lost in the deficient animals. (4) Polyunsaturated fatty acids of EPG, CPG and SPG were markedly changed in animals lacking dietary linoleic acid. Trienoic (C 20 and C 22 ) and docosapentaenoic acids were greatly increased, whereas arachidonic, docosatetraenoic and docosahexaenoic acids were much decreased. (5) In spite of the changes in fatty acid composition each of the three phospholipid classes maintained its particular level of unsaturation during EFA deficiency. (6) EPG aldehydes did not change appreciably in deficient conditions.