title: The effect of n-3 fatty acids on osmotic fragility of rat erythrocytes.
abstract: In order to study the effect of n-3 fatty acids on the physical state of the erythrocyte membrane, measured as osmotic fragility, rats were fed a diet supplemented in n-3 fatty acids (1.5 ml/day, 35% 20:5, 30% 22:6) for 21 days. With salt concentrations ranging from 0.37% to 0.44%, osmotic resistance was increased by 25% to 45% in cells from n-3-fed animals compared to controls. No change was observed in either phospholipid or cholesterol content in the membrane. A small, but still significant difference (P less than 0.05) in phospholipid sub-class distribution was observed in that the phosphatidylethanolamine fraction was decreased and the phosphatidylserine fraction increased after n-3 supplementation. The major change was, however, that the level of eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5(n-3] in phospholipids was increased from 1.5% of total fatty acids to 4.5%. This increase was mainly at the expense of linoleic acid (18:2(n-6]. No change was observed in the level of docosahexaenoic acid (22:6(n-3]. It is thus concluded that both the fatty acid composition and the nature of the phospholipid polar head group may influence the osmotic fragility of erythrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Hagve
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Johansen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Christophersen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009996:Osmotic Fragility / Q000187:drug effects*; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000097:blood; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D010743:Phospholipids