Fatty acid and enzymatic compositional changes in the pancreas of rats fed dietary n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
The influence of n-3 and n-6 PUFA on the fatty acid composition and the enzyme content of zymogen granules of the normal exocrine pancreas was tested on rats. The animals were fed on different diets comprising 5% fish oil (FO), safflower oil (SFO), and evening primrose oil (EPO) used singly or in combination as dietary fats. The results were compared with those from animals fed 5% hydrogenated beef tallow (HBT). The fatty acid composition and digestive enzyme content were analyzed after a 6-wk feeding period. Differences in the pancreatic fatty acid profiles were related to the fatty acid composition of the ingested fats. Equivalent levels of n-3 fatty acids and 20:3n-6 were obtained with either EPO or FO fed singly or in combination. Similar results were observed with SFO/FO. Higher C20:3n-6/C20:4n-6 ratios were obtained with the oil mixtures. An increase in amylase levels, but a decrease in serine protease (Band 21 kdalton) levels, was associated with EPO. An elevation in procarboxypeptidase levels paralleled an increase in 18:0 levels, whereas the proportion of lipase (Band 49 kdalton) varied inversely with the proportion of C20:3n-6. The SFO/FO mixture elevated the proportions of protease II and proelastase. These results suggest that specific fatty acids influence the proportion of specific digestive enzymes in the zymogen granules.
Centre de recherche sur les méchanismes de sécrétion, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada.
M E
ME
Bégin
G
G
Ells
P
P
St-Jean
A
A
Vachereau
A R
AR
Beaudoin
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D004042:Dietary Fats, Unsaturated / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004792:Enzyme Precursors / Q000378:metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010179:Pancreas / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D004042:Dietary Fats, Unsaturated; D004792:Enzyme Precursors; D005227:Fatty Acids