title: Chick nutritional encephalomalacia and prostanoid formation.
abstract: Nutritional encephalomalacia (NE) was induced in young chicks using a diet low in vitamin E and containing 8% ethyl esters derived from safflower oil fatty acids (S-E group). The same diet with added alpha-tocopheryl acetate (S+E) failed to produce the pathology, and chicks receiving aerated linseed oil--high in alpha-linolenic acid and low in alpha-tocopherol (L-E)--did not develop symptoms. Formation of metabolites from labeled arachidonic acid (AA) by thrombocytes was similar in the S+E and S-E groups, yielding thromboxane B2 (TXB2) and hydroxy fatty acids as the major products. Collagen-induced thrombocyte aggregation and TXB2 production were not significantly different in the S-E and S+E groups, but aggregation values and TXB2 synthesis were significantly less in the L-E group than in the ataxic S-E chicks. Prostaglandin E2 production by aortal rings was significantly influenced by the diet; S-E yielded the highest value and L-E the lowest. These results show that alpha-linolenic acid causes alterations in the AA metabolism and thrombocyte function in young chicks.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, Regent's Park, London, England.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Véricel
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Budowski
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Crawford
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002645:Chickens; D004032:Diet; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004678:Encephalomalacia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D012450:Safflower Oil / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013929:Thromboxane B2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014811:Vitamin E Deficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D013929:Thromboxane B2; D012450:Safflower Oil; D015232:Dinoprostone