Ethanol-induced decreases in membrane long-chain unsaturated fatty acids correlate with impaired chick brain development

Exposure to ethanol at 0 days of development induced changes in total membrane fatty acid composition at 18 days of development. When exposed to ethanol concentrations ranging from 0–743.27μm/kg egg wt, decreased levels of long-chain, unsaturated membrane fatty acids and increased levels of short-chain, saturated membrane fatty acids were observed in embryonic chick brains at 18 days of development. The ratios of unsaturated membrane/saturated membrane fatty acids correlated with an ethanol-induced reduction in neuron densities within the cerebral hemispheres and three different regions of the optic lobes with correlation coefficients (r) ranging from 0.44 [F = (1, 32) 7.84; P ≤ 0.009] to 0.59 [F = (1, 32) 17.38; P ≤ 0.0002]. The ratios of long-chain/short-chain membrane fatty acids also correlated with an ethanol-induced reduction in neuron densities within the cerebral hemispheres and three different regions of the optic lobes with correlation coefficients (r) ranging from 0.51 [F = (1, 32) 11.27; P≤ 0.002] to 0.66 [F = (1, 32) 24.40; P ≤ 0.0001]. Cell fractionation studies indicated that the ethanol-induced changes in brain membrane fatty acid composition were restricted to microsomal membranes.