title: Attenuation of the effects of chronic ethanol administration in the brain lipid content of the developing rat by an oil enriched in gamma linolenic acid.
abstract: Chronic ethanol administration to adult rats results in an increase in the linolenic (18:2) to arachidonic (20:4) acid ratios in brain phospholipids. Administration of a diet rich in essential fatty acids can reverse some of the effects of chronic ethanol administration on neuronal membranes. In this study we investigated the effect of ethanol on the neuronal membranes of rat pups and also the effect of the concomitant administration of gamma linolenic acid (18:3) as a component of Evening Primrose Oil (EPO). We found an increase in the concentration of several saturated fatty acids that are components of the phospholipids and a decrease in the mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acid content. EPO was found to attenuate the effect of ethanol in inhibiting the synthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids. These effects of EPO are probably a direct consequence of the essential fatty acids in the oil circumventing the inhibitory effects of ethanol on polyunsaturated fatty acid synthesis.
authors.affiliation: Service de Biochimie, Faculté de Médecine, Brest, France.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Duffy
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Ménez
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Leonard
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D008042:Linolenic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017965:gamma-Linolenic Acid
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D008042:Linolenic Acids; D010743:Phospholipids; D000431:Ethanol; D017965:gamma-Linolenic Acid