title: Protective effect of gamma-linolenic acid on aspirin-induced gastric hemorrhage in rats.
abstract: The effects of feeding with gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) in comparison with linoleic acid on aspirin-induced gastric hemorrhage were studied in the rat. Gastric damage was examined macroscopically and histologically. Intragastric administration of 100 mg aspirin daily for 4 weeks produced hemorrhage in 3 of 8 rats receiving a linoleic-acid-enriched diet, but none in 8 rats receiving GLA-enriched diet. The levels of linoleic acid in plasma and liver phospholipids were significantly increased, whereas those of arachidonic acid (AA) were reduced in plasma and liver phospholipids of aspirin-treated animals fed linoleic acid. Similar, more pronounced changes occurred in those animals with hemorrhage. The reduced ratios of arachidonate/linoleate suggest that fatty acid desaturation in these animals was depressed. Treatment with GLA prevented these changes. Our results demonstrated that GLA could protect the gastric mucosa from aspirin-induced damage by bypassing the depressed delta-6-desaturation and thus providing a precursor for the synthesis of AA and prostaglandins.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D001241:Aspirin / Q000633:toxicity*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019787:Linoleic Acid; D008041:Linoleic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D008042:Linolenic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D017965:gamma-Linolenic Acid
chemical_list: D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D005227:Fatty Acids; D008041:Linoleic Acids; D008042:Linolenic Acids; D010743:Phospholipids; D017965:gamma-Linolenic Acid; D019787:Linoleic Acid; D001241:Aspirin