Abstract
Abstract— We have studied the fatty acid compositions of cerebral myelin lipids in phenyl‐alanine‐treated and control rats. The proportion of long chain fatty acids and the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids of whole brain lipids was low in the penylalanine‐treated animals. Both of these reductions were more pronounced in the myelin from phenylalanine‐treated rats. The ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids in ethanolamine phosphatides was markedly decreased in the hyperphenylalaninemic condition. The reduction in the proportion of long chain fatty acids was predominant in non‐hydroxy fatty acids in cerebrosides and ethanolamine phosphatides. The lipid composition of the myelin expressed as mole percentages of individual phospholipid and sphingolipid components was not significantly different in the two groups of rats, nor did it change with age. Our results indicate a deficiency in the fatty acid elongation and desaturation system in the brains of phenylalanine‐treated rats. We suggest that in hyperphenylalaninemic rats, a reduction in the amounts of unsaturated fatty acid and long chain fatty acid alters, respectively, the biochemical reactivity and the stability of the myelin.
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