scholarly journals The influence of α-linolenic acid (18: 3ω3) on the metabolism of γ-linolenic acid (18: 3ω6) in the rat

1977 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. Hassam

1.Essential fatty acid-deficient rats were fed γ-linolenic acid (18:3ω6) at 2 % dietary energy and α-linolenic acid (18:3ω3) at 0, 1.6, 2.8 and 4.0 % of the dietary energy.2.18:3ω3 at 1.6% apparently inhibits the synthesis of the C20 and C22 ω6 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω6 LC-PUFA) metabolized from 18:3ω6.3.However, increasing the dietary levels of 18:3ω3 from 1.6 to 4.0% has no further influence.4.The results suggest that dietary 18:3ω6 is an efficient precursor for the ω6 LC-PUFA synthesis even in the presence of 18:3ω3.

1978 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. Hassam ◽  
M. A. Crawford

1. Rats were fed on either a diet deficient in essential fatty acid (EFA) or one supplemented with dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (20:3,n-6) at levels that represented 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0% of the dietary energy.2. Supplementation of the diet of EFA-deficient animals with 20:3,n-6 reversed most of the fatty acid changes induced in the liver phospholipid fraction.3. The EFA potency of 20:3,n-6 was found to be similar to that of γ-linolenic acid (18:3,n-6) which has been shown to be higher than that of linoleic acid (18:2,n-6).


2000 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 131-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.J. Mansbridge ◽  
J.S. Blake ◽  
C.A. Collins

AbstractThe Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy report Nutritional Aspects of Cardiovascular Disease recommended increased dietary intakes of the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid to help protect against cardiovascular disease. There is some evidence that a-linolenic acid can be elongated and desaturated by mammalian enzyme systems to produce small amounts of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids. Whole linseeds are rich in a–linolenic acid, and it has been suggested that feeding this oilseed to dairy cows may result in higher levels of the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in bovine milk. To examine this hypothesis, the effect of feeding whole ground linseed and xylose treated whole ground linseed on the performance and milk composition of dairy cows was investigated.Either form of whole linseed reduced dry matter intakes and milk protein concentration. The xylose treated whole linseed increased milk yield, but neither linseed source changed milk fat concentration. Levels of milk a-linolenic acid increased to 1.2 g/100 g fatty acid when whole ground linseed was fed, and to 1.5 g/100 g fatty acid with the xylose treated linseed compared with 0.7 g/100 g fatty acid for cows fed the control diet. The efficiency of incorporation of additional dietary a-linolenic acid into milk fat was estimated to be 1.6 and 3.4% for the whole ground and xylose treated whole ground linseed respectively. Feeding whole ground linseed increased the proportion of a-linolenic acid in milk fat, but there was no evidence of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in milk fat, suggesting that if any elongation and desaturation of a-linolenic acid occurs in dairy cows, none is transferred to milk.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yutaka Tashiro

Purpose This study aimed to analyze the lipid content and fatty acid composition in the liver and muscle of a porcupinefish species inhabiting waters around the Ryukyu Islands to investigate their potential as a source of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs). Design/methodology/approach Porcupinefish were collected along the Okinawa Island coast. The composition of fatty acids and cholesterol in both liver and muscle were analyzed using a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer. Findings The liver of Okinawan long-spine porcupinefish was rich in lipids whose content correlated to the proportion of liver/body weight. Fatty acid compositions in their liver and muscles were similar to each other. LC-PUFAs occupied 44% of total fatty acids, with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) being the dominant (42%), whereas eicosapentaenoic acid occupied 2.4%. The liver contained 1,690 mg of cholesterol and 14.8 g of DHA per 100 g, whose proportion decreased in summer compared to other seasons (p = 0.036). Originality/value The liver of Okinawan long-spine porcupinefish, which has not yet been commercially used although its non-toxicity is claimed, can be an excellent source of LC-PUFAs, especially DHA, accentuating its potential in food supplements’ production.


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