title: Reduction of essential fatty acid deficiency in rat fed a low iron fat free diet.
abstract: Young male rats were fed ad libitum for 8 weeks a low iron fat-free (FF-Fe) diet or a fat-free diet supplemented with iron (FF+Fe). The relative levels of 16:1 and 18:1 to 18:0 in the total fatty acids of liver and other tissues (plasma, erythrocytes and intestinal mucosa) were considerably decreased because of a lack of dietary iron. In rats fed the FF-Fe diet, the levels of essential fatty acids (18:2 omega 6 + 20:4 omega 6) in tissues were 2- to 3-fold greater than in the corresponding tissues of rats fed the FF+Fe diet. Eicosatrienoic acid (20:3 omega 9) levels in tissue lipids from rats fed the FF+Fe diet were high (8-16%), whereas they were low (2-5%) in the case of animals fed the FF-Fe diet. The proportion of 20:4 in total fatty acids of tissues was 2- to 3-fold greater in rats fed the FF-Fe diet than when they were fed the FF+Fe diet. Therefore, the relative levels of 20:3 omega 9/20:4 omega 6 varied from 1-2.9 in tissue lipids of rats fed the FF+Fe diet, while it varied only from 0.2-0.3 in animals fed the FF-Fe diet. These results suggest that a lack of dietary iron may reduce the synthesis of 16:1, 18:1, 20:3 and 20:4 and the metabolism of 20:4.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential / Q000172:deficiency*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D007501:Iron / Q000494:pharmacology; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000378:metabolism; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D013230:Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase / Q000378:metabolism; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D010743:Phospholipids; D014280:Triglycerides; D007501:Iron; D013230:Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase