Inverse modifications of heart and liver alpha-tocopherol status by various dietary n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratios.

Autor: M Chautan, R Calaf, J Léonardi, M Charbonnier, M Andre, H Portugal, AM Pauli, H Lafont, G Nalbone
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 1990
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Lipid Research, Vol 31, Iss 12, Pp 2201-2208 (1990)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 0022-2275
DOI: 10.1016/S0022-2275(20)42107-8
Popis: The effect of dietary n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio on alpha-tocopherol homeostasis was investigated in rats. Animals were fed diets containing fat (17% w/w) in which the n-6/n-3 ratio varied from 50 to 0.8. This was achieved by combining corn oil, fish oil, and lard. The polyunsaturated to saturated ratio and total alpha-tocopherol remained constant in all diets. Results showed that enrichment of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the diet, even at a low amount (3.9% w/w), resulted in a dramatic reduction of blood alpha-tocopherol concentration, which, in fact, is the result of a decrease in plasma lipids, since the alpha-tocopherol to total lipids ratio was not significantly altered. The most striking effect observed was a considerable alpha-tocopherol enrichment (x 4) of the heart as its membranes became enriched with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. This process appeared even with a low amount of fish oil (3.9% w/w) added to the diet. Accordingly, a strong positive correlation was found between heart alpha-tocopherol and docosahexaenoic acid (r = 0.86) or docosahexaenoic acid plus eicosapentaenoic acid levels (r = 0.84). Conversely, the liver alpha-tocopherol level dropped dramatically when n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids were gradually added to the diet. It is concluded that fish oil intake dramatically alters the alpha-tocopherol homeostasis in rats.
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