title: Chronic alcoholism decreases polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in human plasma, erythrocytes, and platelets--influence of chronic liver disease.
abstract: The effect of chronic ethanol ingestion on fatty acid composition of plasma, erythrocyte and platelet phospholipids and on plasma 6-keto-PGF1alpha was studied. Two groups of alcoholic subjects, one of them with chronic liver disease, were studied and compared to a control group of healthy subjects. Linoleic acid was not affected by alcoholism but its larger metabolites arachidonic acid (20:4n6) and docosatetraenoic acid (22:4n6) tended to be lower in erythrocytes and platelets of both groups of alcoholic patients; the decrease was more marked in the presence of chronic liver disease. Docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n3) was markedly decreased in plasma, erythrocytes and platelets obtained from alcoholic patients with chronic liver disease. Plasma levels of 6-keto-PGF1alpha, a metabolite of prostacyclin (PGI2), remained unchanged. We conclude that chronic ethanol ingestion induces important changes in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, mainly in platelets, and that these changes are exacerbated when patients suffer from chronic liver disease.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica Medica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Pita
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rubio
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Murillo
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Carreras
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Delgado
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000378:metabolism*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D011464:Epoprostenol / Q000097:blood; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D011464:Epoprostenol