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Altered fatty acid desaturation and microsomal fatty acid composition in the streptozotocin diabetic rat
Author(s) -
Faas Fred H.,
Carter William J.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
lipids
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.601
H-Index - 120
eISSN - 1558-9307
pISSN - 0024-4201
DOI - 10.1007/bf02534421
Subject(s) - arachidonic acid , medicine , endocrinology , streptozotocin , linoleic acid , polyunsaturated fatty acid , fatty acid , clinical chemistry , lipidology , biology , essential fatty acid , diabetes mellitus , palmitoleic acid , chemistry , biochemistry , enzyme
Streptozotocin diabetes in the rat diminishes the synthesis of both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Rat liver microsomal fatty acid composition and fatty acid desaturation were studied in the streptozotocin diabetic rat. The major alterations in fatty acid composition found in the diabetic rat were decreased proportions of palmitoleic, oleic and arachidonic acids and an increased proportion of linoleic and docosahexaeneoic acids. These findings, other than the increased docosahexaeneoic acid, probably result from the diminished liver microscomal δ9 and δ6 desaturase activities found in these animals. These changes are not due to the diminished weight gain of the diabetic animals since restricting food intake of control animals to achieve a similar weight gain failed to reproduce either the changes in fatty acid composition or the decrease in fatty acid desaturation. The increased food intake of the diabetic animal may contribute to the altered proportions of linleic and arachidonic acids since limiting food intake in diabetic animals to that of normal controls diminished the magnitude of these changes. Insulin therapy for 2 days not only reverses and overcorrects the diminished desaturase activities, but likewise reverses and overcorrects the altered fatty acid composition, with the exception of the diminished arachidonic aicd levels which are further decreased following insulin therapy. These findings strongly suggest that most of the changes in fatty acid composition in the diabetic rat are indeed caused by the diminished fatty acid desaturase activities.