Arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid supplemented to an essential fatty acid–deficient diet alters the response to endotoxin in rats

• Published in: Metabolism, clinical and experimental clinical and experimental, 2012-03, Vol.61 (3), p.395-406
• Main Authors: Ling, Pei-Ra, Malkan, Alpin, Le, Hau D, Puder, Mark, Bistrian, Bruce R
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Arachidonic Acid - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; C-Reactive Protein - metabolism; Diet; Docosahexaenoic Acids - pharmacology; Eating; Endocrinology & Metabolism; Endotoxins - toxicity; Fatty Acids - metabolism; Fatty Acids, Essential - deficiency; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Inflammation - pathology; Interleukin-6 - metabolism; Lipid Metabolism - physiology; Male; Nutritional Status; Phospholipids - metabolism; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Weight Gain - physiology
• ISSN: 0026-0495; 1532-8600
• DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2011.07.017

Abstract This study examined fatty acid profiles, triene-tetraene ratios (20:3n9/20:4n6), and nutritional and inflammatory markers in rats fed an essential fatty acid–deficient (EFAD) diet provided as 2% hydrogenated coconut oil (HCO) alone for 2 weeks or with 1.3 mg of arachidonic acid (AA) and 3.3 mg of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (AA + DHA) added to achieve 2% fat. Healthy controls were fed an AIN 93M diet (AIN) with 2% soybean oil. The HCO and AA + DHA diets led to significant reductions of linoleic acid, α -linolenic acid, and AA (20:4n6) and increases in Mead acid (20:3n9) in plasma and liver compared with the AIN diet; but the triene-tetraene levels remained well within normal. However, levels of 20:3n9 and 20:4n6 were lower in liver phospholipids in the AA + DHA than in HCO group, suggesting reduced elongation and desaturation in ω -9 and -6 pathways. The AA + DHA group also had significantly lower levels of 18:1n9 and 16:1n7 as well as 18:1n9/18:0 and 16:1n7/16:0 than the HCO group, suggesting inhibition of stearyl-Co A desaturase–1 activity. In response to lipopolysaccharide, the levels of tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-6 were significantly lower with HCO, reflecting reduced inflammation. The AA + DHA group had higher levels of IL-6 and C-reactive protein than the HCO group but significantly lower than the AIN group. However, in response to endotoxin, interleukin-6 was higher with AA + DHA than with AIN. Feeding an EFAD diet reduces baseline inflammation and inflammatory response to endotoxin long before the development of EFAD, and added AA + DHA modifies this response.