Reversal of brain essential fatty-acid deficiency in the rat by dietary linoleate, linolenate and arachidonate

Abstract

1. 1. Nineteen-day old rats were fed on an essential fatty-acid deficient diet for 18 weeks, thereby making them essential fatty-acid deficient for at least 5 weeks. The weights of their brains were 20.2% less than those of rats on control diet. 2. 2. When deficient rats were rehabilitated for 5 weeks on a diet supplemented with either linoleate, linolenate or arachidonate, the weights of their brains were 94.3, 88.5 and 92.3%, respectively, of the control value. 3. 3. Essential fatty-acid deficiency was characterized by a large reduction in the proportions of cerebrosides, sphingomyelin and the essential fatty acids and a high increase in the proportion of eicosatrienoic acid (20:3). 4. 4. Rehabilitation for 5 weeks on a diet supplemented with essential fatty acids reversed these changes in brain composition. 5. 5. It is considered that linoleate and arachidonate possess full activity while linolenate possesses only partial activity in reversing essential fatty-acid deficiency syndrome in rat brain.