Body size related adaptations of the avian myocardial phospholipid fatty acyl chain composition

• Published in: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2006-08, Vol.144 (4), p.496-502
• Main Authors: Szabó, András, Fébel, Hedvig, Mézes, Miklós, Balogh, Krisztián, Horn, Péter, Romvári, Róbert
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Allometry; Animals; Birds; Birds - physiology; Body size; Body Size - physiology; Docosahexaenoic acid; Fatty acid; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated - chemistry; Heart; Lipid Peroxidation; Malondialdehyde; Malondialdehyde - analysis; Myocardium - chemistry; Phospholipid; Phospholipids - chemistry; Unsaturation
• ISSN: 1096-4959; 1879-1107
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2006.05.001

The myocardial phospholipid fatty acid (FA) composition (mol %) of 7 avian species was determined, in a body mass range from 150 g (Japanese quail, Coturnix coturnix japonica) to 19 kg (turkey, Meleagris gallopavo). Significant allometric increases were found for C16:1 n7 (allometric exponent: B = 0.15), C18:1 n7 ( B = 0.08), C18:1 n9 ( B = 0.24), C20:1 n9 ( B = 0.22) and C20:3 n3 ( B = 0.12); moreover, total monounsaturates ( B = 0.20) and the sum of n9 FAs ( B = 0.24) was also positively related to body mass. The total n3 FAs ( B = − 0.36), and within them C22:5 n3 ( B = − 0.41) and C22:6 n3 ( B = − 0.60) showed allometric declines, such as total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA; B = − 0.01), unsaturation index ( B = − 0.03) and mean FA chain length ( B = − 0.003). Comparing our results with earlier published data on avian skeletal muscle and divergent mammalian tissues, the allometric scaling of the above membrane forming fatty acids seems to be part of a general relationship postulated as the theory “membranes as metabolic pacemakers”. In addition, the cardiac muscle malondialdehyde concentration was negatively related to body mass ( B = − 0.16), referring to a lower level of lipid peroxidation in larger birds, and vice versa, indicating a progressive myocardial lipid peroxidation in smaller-bodied species.