Retinal function in rats and guinea-pigs reared on diets low in essential fatty acids and supplemented with linoleic or linolenic acids.
Rats were reared into a third generation on diets deficient in essential fatty acids supplemented with linoleic acid (18:2 n-6) or linolenic acid (18:3 n-3) with the object of depleting the retina of n-6 or n-3 fatty acids. In the rats fed 18:2 n-6 the percentage by weight of 22:6 n-3 in retinal fatty acids fell from 22.5 to 8.5% in first-generation animals but then remained unchanged in second and third generations. There was no difference in b-wave amplitudes of the electroretinogram between the rats fed 18:2 n-6 and those fed 18:3 n-3. In guinea-pigs fed purified diets low in 18:3 n-3 the percentage by weight of 22:6 n-3 in retinas fell from 8 to less than 0.5% by the third generation. However, there were no statistical differences in the b-wave amplitudes between these animals and those reared on a commercial diet. It is concluded that if n-3 fatty acids are involved in retinal function their role is too subtle to be detected by standard electroretinographic techniques.
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D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004596:Electroretinography; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000172:deficiency*; D005260:Female; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D019787:Linoleic Acid; D008041:Linoleic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008042:Linolenic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D051381:Rats; D012160:Retina / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000209:etiology; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid
D004041:Dietary Fats; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential; D008041:Linoleic Acids; D008042:Linolenic Acids; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid; D019787:Linoleic Acid