Gamma Linolenic Acid Levels in Atherogenic Dieted Rabbits with Primrose Oil Supplementation

Abstract

The effect of primrose oil (PO), containing 9% gamma linolenic acid (GLA), 74.6% linoleic Acid and 9% oleic acid, addition to an atherogenic diet (AD) fed to New Zealand strain, male rabbits, on the fatty acid contents of samples of their aortae, kidney and lung tissues, was studied. Five Control animals (ADC Group) were fed an Atherogenic Diet (AD) containing 92% Purina Rabbit Chow, 2% cholesterol and 6% corn oil. Five Experimental rabbits (APO Group) were fed AD with 5% PO added. After 10 weeks of maintenance on these diets, the animals were sacrificed by nembutal injection. One gram tissue samples from lung, aorta and kidney were analyzed by gas chromatographic assay for their fatty acid content. Palmitic Acid was significantly higher in APO Lung samples: 38.4. vs 29 mol% in the ADC group. Cis Linoleic Acid levels were markedly higher in the APO Aortae: 53.4 vs 40.2% mol % in ADC tissues. APO Kidney assays found 39.6 vs 36.1 mol % in ADC samples. Alpha Linolenic Acid (18:3W3) levels were significantly higher in ADC Lung fractions: O.6 vs 0.06 mol% in APO samples. ADC Aortae mean values for 18:3W3 were 1.9 vs 1.13 mol % in APO tissue and in ADC Kidney samples, it measured 0.63 vs 0.38 mol% for APO tissue. Gamma Linolenic Acid (18: 3W6) levels in APO Lung were 0.82 vs 0.44 mol% in ADC samples. In APO Aortae, GLA values were 1.49 vs 0.05 mole % in ADC tissues. APO Kidney GLA values were 0.86 vs 0.245 mol% in ADC fractions. Diets that can induce increased GLA levels in tissues may allow for decreased tissue inflammation and atherogenesis by increasing the availability of the fatty acid precursors needed for the synthesis of major antiatherogenic prostaglandins.