Polyunsaturated fatty acid deficiency reverses effects of alcohol on mitochondrial energy metabolism.
OBJECTIVE
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) deficiency is common in patients with alcoholic liver disease. The suitability of reversing such deficiency remains controversial. The aim was to investigate the role played by PUFA deficiency in the occurrence of alcohol-related mitochondrial dysfunction.


METHODS
Wistar rats were fed either a control diet with or without alcohol (control and ethanol groups) or a PUFA deficient diet with or without alcohol (PUFA deficient and PUFA deficient+ethanol groups). After 6 weeks, liver mitochondria were isolated for energetic studies and fatty acid analysis.


RESULTS
Mitochondria from ethanol fed rats showed a dramatic decrease in oxygen consumption rates and in cytochrome oxidase activity. PUFA deficiency showed an opposite picture. PUFA deficient+ethanol group roughly reach control values, regarding cytochrome oxidase activity and respiratory rates. The relationship between ATP synthesis and respiratory rate was shifted to the left in ethanol group and to the right in PUFA-deficient group. The plots of control and PUFA deficient+ethanol groups were overlapping. Phospholipid arachidonic over linoleic ratio closely correlated to cytochrome oxidase and oxygen uptake.


CONCLUSIONS
PUFA deficiency reverses alcohol-related mitochondrial dysfunction via an increase in phospholipid arachidonic over linoleic ratio, which raises cytochrome oxidase activity. Such deficiency may be an adaptive mechanism.
Piquet
Marie-Astrid
MA
Département d'Hépatologie et Nutrition, CHU, F-14033 Caen cedex, France. piquet-ma@chu-caen.fr
Roulet
Michel
M
Nogueira
Véronique
V
Filippi
Céline
C
Sibille
Brigitte
B
Hourmand-Ollivier
Isabelle
I
Pilet
Marianne
M
Rouleau
Vincent
V
Leverve
Xavier M
XM
D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000494:pharmacology; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008930:Mitochondria, Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D004041:Dietary Fats; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated