An in vitro study of the effects of dietary alteration and fasting on the desaturation of palmitic, stearic eicosa-8,11-dienoic and eicosa-8,11,14-trienoic acids

Liver fatty acid composition in the spontaneously diabetic BB rat

The purpose of the present experiment was to investigate if the modulation by insulin of liver microsomal desaturase activities in the spontaneously diabetic adult male Bio-Breeding (BB) rat, with destructive insulitis resembling the lesions described in the human Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes, corresponds to modifications in fatty acid composition, reflect of changes in fatty acid desaturation. We observed no significant differences between BB rats, during the hyper-(48 h), the normo-(17 h) and the hypo-glycemic (3 h) periods which followed the insulin injection, and control rats for the fatty acid composition of liver total lipids, phosphatidylethanolamines, phosphatidylcholines, triacylglycerols, cholesterol esters and non esterified fatty acids. On the other hand, linoleic acid of BB rats liver phospholipids increased, comparatively to control rats, while arachidonic acid decreased, in agreement with previously reported results on chemical diabetes and consistent with a defective delta 6 desaturation, particularly during the normo-and hyper-glycemic periods, and the fact that control of membrane lipid composition is multifactorial.

Delta 6 and delta 5 desaturase activities in liver from obese Zucker rats at different ages

delta 6 Desaturation of linoleic acid (18:2 n-6) and delta 5 desaturation of dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (20:3 n-6) were measured in liver microsomes from genetically obese Zucker rats (fa/fa) and from their lean littermates (Fa/--). Both groups were fed a balanced commercial diet. The rats were 6, 9 and 12 weeks old, which corresponded to stages in their active growth period. The content of total fatty acids and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in whole liver and liver microsomes was also determined in order to ascertain how the desaturase activities measured in vitro reflected regulation of essential fatty acid metabolism in vivo. Contrary to values obtained for delta 6 desaturation, delta 5 desaturation at nonsaturating substrate levels were lower in obese rats than in lean controls. In contrast, at saturating substrate level, the maximal delta 5 desaturase activities were the same in both phenotypes and they increased with age. Study of delta 5 desaturation kinetics (1/V vs 1/S) showed that Vm did not differ between 12-week-old obese and lean rats, whereas KM in obese rats was much lower than in controls, expressing the very low affinity of the enzyme for the substrate in obese animals. The fatty acid composition of liver lipids reflected the results of desaturase activities in vitro. In particular, the ratios 20:4 n-6/20:3 n-6 were lower in obese rats than in lean rats, which can be explained by the lower conversion of 20:3 n-6 into 20:4 n-6 by delta 5 desaturation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)