Changes in the fatty acid profiles of red blood cell membrane phospholipids in human neonates during the first month of life

We have studied the changes in the fatty acid profiles of red blood cell membrane phospholipids in 47 infants who were exclusively fed human milk from birth to 1 month of life. Twenty blood samples were obtained from cord, 15 at 7 days and 12 at 30 days after birth. Membrane phospholipids were obtained from erythrocyte ghosts by thin-layer chromatography and fatty acid composition was determined by gas liquid chromatography. Phosphatidylcholine showed the most important changes during early life; stearic, w6 eicosatrienoic and arachidonic acids decreased whereas oleic and linoleic acids increased. In phosphatidylethanolamine, palmitic and stearic acid declined and oleic, linoleic and docosahexenoic acids increased with advancing age. Small changes were noted for individual fatty acids in phosphatidylserine. In sphingomyelin stearic acid increased from birth to 1 month and linoleic, arachidonic and nervonic acids decreased. Total polyunsaturated fatty acids of the w6 series greater than 18 carbon atoms increased with advancing age in phosphatidylethanolamine and decreased in choline and serine phosphoglycerides and in sphingomyelin. Long chain fatty acids derived from linoleic acid decreased in phosphatidylcholine but increased in ethanolamine and serine phosphoglycerides. The different behavior in the changes observed in fatty acid patterns for each erythrocyte membrane phospholipid may be a consequence of its different location in the cell membrane bilayer and specific exchange with plasma lipid fractions.     

Metabolism of fatty acids by bovine spermatozoa

The incorporation of (14)C-labelled myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acids in vitro into the lipids of bovine spermatozoa was measured at intervals from 2min to 2h. All acids were rapidly incorporated into diglycerides, myristic acid being metabolized to the greatest extent. Whereas the low incorporation of acids into total phospholipids reflected the relative stability of the major phospholipid fractions in sperm, the minor phospholipids, particularly phosphatidylinositol, showed comparatively high metabolic activity. Although, in general, saturated acids were incorporated more actively than unsaturated substrates, stearic acid was poorly incorporated into all lipids except phosphatidylinositol. In regard to fatty acid composition of sperm lipids it was notable that diglycerides contained myristic acid as the major component, and this acid was also a prominent moiety of phosphatidylinositol. Docosahexaenoic acid was the principal fatty acid of the major phospholipid classes. These findings have been discussed in relation to the role of lipids in the metabolism of spermatozoa.     

Trypanosoma cruzi: Fatty acid metabolism in vitro

Trypanosoma cruzi populations, composed primarily of trypomastigote forms, readily converted palmitic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, and stearic acid to CO₂. Appreciable amounts of carbon from these four fatty acids were also incorporated into neutral and phospholipid lipids by these parasites. Palmitic acid, a 16 carbon saturated fatty acid, was converted at rates greater than those of the other three fatty acids.     

Incorporation and metabolism of stearic, oleic, linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids in minimal deviation hepatoma 7288 C cells.

Minimal Deviation Hepatoma 7288 C cells were cultured in confluent layer with labeled stearic, oleic, linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids. The kinetics of incorporation and conversion to higher homologs was studied. The maximum amounts incorporated in nmoles per mg of cellular protein for stearic, oleic, linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids were 39, 115.6, 90 and 230 respectively. alpha-linolenic acid was converted to octadeca-6,9,12,15-tetraenoic acid (18:1), eicosa-11,14,17-trienoic acid (20:3), eicosa-8,11,14,17 and 5,11,14,17-tetraenoic acids (20:4) and eicosa-5,8,11,14,17-pentaenoic acid (20:5), and also to myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic and oleic acids. By a mathematical approach, the endogenous pool size of alpha-linolenic acid available for conversion to eicosa-5,8,11,14,17-pentaenoic acid, were calculated. Both values decreased when the cells were preincubated with unlabeled alpha-linolenic acid.     

Incorporation of exogenous fatty acids into phospholipids by cultured hamster fibroblasts. Effect of SV40 transformation

In situ incorporation of two saturated (palmitic, 16:0; stearic, 18:0) and three unsaturated fatty acids (oleic, 18:1; linoleic, 18:2; arachidonic, 20:4) into the four major phospholipids, sphingomyelin, PC, PI and PE, was followed. Transformed cells incorporated unsaturated fatty acids more rapidly, whereas no significant differences were found concerning saturated fatty acids. In vitro determination of phospholipid acylation showed that incorporation of coenzyme A-activated forms of two saturated fatty acids (16:0 and 18:0) and one unsaturated fatty acid (18:1) into phospholipids was increased in transformed cells. Comparison of results obtained in situ and in vitro strongly suggests that incorporation of fatty acids into phospholipids in cultured cells is not limited by acyltransferase activities.     

Oral cavity discrimination of vapor-phase long-chain 18-carbon fatty acids

Linoleic, oleic, and stearic fatty acids, presented vapor-phase retronasally, were discriminable from blanks and each other, but the same concentrations, oral-cavity-only (OCO), were not discriminable from blanks. It remained possible that higher concentrations might be discriminable OCO. To evaluate this, participants attempted to discriminate undiluted linoleic, oleic, or stearic acids, vapor-phase OCO, from blanks. For each fatty acid, participants received 5 stimulus delivery containers (SDCs) in 2 trials; 4 SDC held blanks, the fifth, a fatty acid. As a "positive control" in 2 trials, participants received vapor-phase OCO peppermint extract and blanks. For all trials, the task was to select the 1 different SDC. It was found that the 1 different SDC was selected in 24% of stearic, 32% of linoleic, 47% of oleic acid, and in 92% of peppermint trials; discriminations (the 1 different SDC selected in both trials) occurred in 0%, 16%, 26%, and 84% of pairs, respectively. Correct selections for oleic acid differed from chance, P = 0.0004, but not for linoleic acid, P = 0.125, or stearic acid, P = 0.345, Bonferroni corrected. Vapor-phase oleic acid can be an oral cavity trigeminal stimulus, linoleic acid might be (uncorrected P = 0.0384), but vapor-phase stearic acid cannot be.     

Selective retention of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids in human milk lipids in the face of increasing proportions of medium chain-length (C10-14) fatty acids

This paper reports the results of our analysis of the impact high levels of de novo fatty acids have on the proportions of essential and non-essential fatty acids in human milk lipids. The data for seven fatty acids (linoleic, alpha-linolenic, arachidonic (AA), docosahexaenoic (DHA), palmitic, stearic and oleic) were derived from several studies conducted in Nigeria. The proportion by weight of each of these fatty acids was plotted versus the proportion of C10-14 fatty acids. As the proportion of C10-14 fatty acids increased from 15 to 65%, there was not a proportional decrease in the percentages of all seven fatty acids, but, instead, preferential incorporation of the essential fatty acids, AA and DHA into the triacylglycerol component of the milk. At the same time, the proportions of stearic and oleic acid declined by 69% and 86%, respectively. However, the proportions of linoleic acid, palmitic acid, DHA, AA and alpha-linolenic acid, in milk lipids decreased by only 44%, 40%, 39%, 28% and 2.3%, respectively. These observations indicate that as the contribution of C10-14 fatty acids increases, essential fatty acids are preferentially incorporated into milk triacylglycerols at the expense of oleic acid and stearic acid.     

Effect of dietary fats on linoleic acid metabolism. A radiolabel study in rats

Effects on the linoleic acid metabolism in vivo of three dietary fats, rich in either oleic acid, trans fatty acids or alpha-linolenic acid, and all with the same linoleic acid content, were investigated in male Wistar rats. After 6 weeks of feeding, the rats were intubated with [1-14C]linoleic acid and [3H]oleic acid. The incorporation of these radiolabels into liver, heart and serum was investigated 2, 4, 8, 24 and 48 h after intubation. The amount of 14C-labelled arachidonic acid incorporated into the liver phospholipid of the group fed the oleic acid-rich diet was significantly higher than that of the other groups. However, compared to the trans fatty acids-containing diet, the oleic acid-rich diet induced only a slightly higher arachidonic acid level in the phospholipid fraction of the tissues as determined by GLC. Dietary alpha-linolenic acid more than halved the arachidonic acid levels. Our results do not support the hypothesis that the delta 6-desaturase system actually determines the polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in tissue lipids by regulating the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (e.g., arachidonic acid) synthesized. The biosynthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids only is not sufficient to explain the complicated changes in fatty acid compositions as observed after feeding different dietary fats.     

Lipid composition and metabolism in oospores and oospheres ofAchlya americana

Oospores and oospheres ofAchlya americana Humphrey were isolated by sonication and filtration through nylon-mesh cloth of progressively diminishing porosity, and their lipid composition was investigated. The average dry weight of an oospore was 3.2 ng. Approximately 37% of the dry weight was composed of lipid. Triacylglycerols represented 88.7% of the total lipid, unesterified fatty acids made up 9.7%, and sterols, sterol esters, phospholipids, and mono- and diacylglycerols each constituted less than 1% of the total. Palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids were the predominant fatty acids, along with smaller amounts of myristic, palmitoleic, stearic, arachidonic, and eicosapentaenoic acids. The fatty acid composition of the triacylglycerol fraction was similar to that of the total lipid, while that of the phospholipid fraction was higher in oleic acid. The unesterified fatty acid fraction was higher in saturated components than the total lipid, while the sterol ester fraction was higher in unsaturated fatty acids. In both the total lipid and the various lipid classes, unsaturated fatty acids increased during spore development. The sterol fraction consisted of 72% fucosterol, 22% cholesterol, and 7% 24-methylenecholesterol. In both oospheres and oospores, 1-[¹⁴C] acetate was assimilated most readily into phospholipids, triacylglycerols, and unesterified fatty acids, and was incorporated preferentially into palmitic, palmitoleic, and oleic acids. 1-[¹⁴C]-Arachidonic acid was incorporated by isolated oospheres into eicosapentaenoic acid, indicating that arachidonic acid is the immediate precursor of eicosapentaenoic acid.     

Metabolism of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and modification of phospholipids in cultured rabbit aortic smooth muscle cells

The metabolism of the linolenic acid family (n-3) of fatty acids, e.g., linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acids, in cultured smooth muscle cells from rabbit aorta was compared to the metabolism of linoleic and arachidonic acids. There was a time-dependent uptake of these fatty acids into cells for 16 hr (arachidonic greater than docosahexaenoic, linoleic, eicosapentaenoic greater than linolenic), and the acids were incorporated mainly into phospholipids and triglycerides. Eicosapentaenoic and arachidonic acids were incorporated more into phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol plus phosphatidylserine and less into phosphatidylcholine than linolenic and linoleic acids. Docosahexaenoic acid was incorporated into phosphatidylethanolamine more than linolenic and linoleic acids and into phosphatidylinositol plus phosphatidylserine less than eicosapentaenoic and arachidonic acids. Added linolenic acid accumulated mainly in phosphatidylcholine and did not decrease the arachidonic acid content of any phospholipid subfraction. Elongation-desaturation metabolites of linoleic acid did not accumulate. Cells treated with eicosapentaenoic acid accumulated both eicosapentaenoic and docosapentaenoic acids mainly in phosphatidylethanolamine and the arachidonic acid content was decreased. Added docosahexaenoic acid accumulated mainly in phosphatidylethanolamine and decreased the content of both arachidonic and oleic acids. The following conclusions are drawn from these results. The three n-3 fatty acids are utilized differently in phospholipids. The arachidonic acid content of phospholipids is reduced by eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids, but not by linolenic acid. Smooth muscle cells have little or no desaturase activity, but have significant elongation activity for polyunsaturated fatty acids.     

Phospholipid metabolism, calcium flux, and the receptor-mediated induction of chemotaxis in rabbit neutrophils

Rabbit neutrophils were stimulated with the chemotactic peptide fMet-Leu-Phe in the presence of the methyltransferase inhibitors homocysteine (HCYS) and 3-deazaadenosine (3-DZA). HCYS and 3-DZA inhibited chemotaxis, phospholipid methylation, and protein carboxymethylation in a dose-dependent manner. The chemotactic peptide-stimulated release of [14C]arachidonic acid previously incorporated into phospholipid was also partially blocked by the methyltransferase inhibitors. Stimulation by fMet-Leu-Phe or the calcium ionophore A23187 caused release of arachidonic acid but not of previously incorporated [14C]-labeled linoleic, oleic, or stearic acids. Unlike the arachidonic acid release caused by fMet-Leu-Phe, release stimulated by the ionophore could not be inhibited by HCYS and 3-DZA, suggesting that the release was caused by a different mechanism or by stimulating a step after methylation in the pathway from receptor activation to arachidonic acid release. Extracellular calcium was required for arachidonic acid release, and methyltransferase inhibitors were found to partially inhibit chemotactic peptide-stimulated calcium influx. These results suggest that methylation pathways may be associated with the chemotactic peptide receptor stimulation of calcium influx and activation of a phospholipase A2 specific for cleaving arachidonic acid from phospholipids.     

Positional distribution of constituent fatty acids in phosphatidylethanolamine during early development in Rana nigromaculata

Qualitative and quantitative changes in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) were analyzed in the eggs, embryos and tadpoles of the Japanese pond frog, Rana nigromaculata, at various stages of development. The weight percentage of PE to total phospholipid and to total lipid was about 15-18% and about 3-4%, respectively, during embryonic life. At all stages from the unfertilized egg to the feeding tadpole, the major fatty acids at the 1-position of PE were palmitic, stearic and oleic acids. At the 2-position, arachidonic, oleic, palmitic, stearic and linoleic acids were present during embryonic life. The most abundant fatty acid at the 2-position was arachidonic acid at the unfertilized egg and hatching embryo stages. However, palmitic acid was the most prevalent 2-fatty acid at the posthatching tadpole and the feeding tadpole stages. Thus, there were marked changes in the positional distribution of the constituent fatty acids in PE during development.     

Incorporation into liver microsomal lipids of linoleic and stearic acids and of their respective products of delta 6 and delta 9 desaturation, gamma-linolenic and oleic acids: effect of age and of blackcurrant seed oil.

The incorporation of [1-14C]linoleic and [1-14C]stearic acid and of their delta 6 and delta 9 desaturation products (gamma-linolenic and oleic acids, respectively) into different classes of lipids was studied in liver microsomes of rats in function of the diet (blackcurrant seed oil diet, containing gamma-linolenic acid, versus control diet) and in function of age (3, 6 and 9 months). After delta 6 desaturation, total radioactivity was distributed between phospholipids, especially phosphatidylcholine, and neutral lipids. The desaturation product, gamma-linolenic acid, was totally recovered in the phospholipid fraction. Blackcurrant seed oil, which decreased the rate of delta 6 desaturation in 6- and 9-month-old rats, also decreased the incorporation of radioactivity in total phospholipids, especially in phosphatidylcholine. At 6 months of age, after delta 9 desaturation, the majority of radioactivity was recovered in neutral lipids principally as oleic acid, the desaturation product. The precursor, stearic acid, was highly incorporated into phospholipids, especially in rats on a diet of blackcurrant seed oil.     

The anomalous kinetics of coupled aspartate aminotransferase and malate dehydrogenase. Evidence for compartmentation of oxaloacetate.

The optimum cofactor requirements for triacylglycerol biosynthesis in rat adipose-tissue homogenates containing mitochondrial, microsomal and cytosolic fractions were investigated. In general the optimum concentrations of cofactors for triacylglycerol biosynthesis were found to differ from those for total fatty acid esterification. The results provided further evidence for the key role of phosphatidate phosphohydrolase in the regulation of triacylglycerol biosynthesis. Albumin was included in the incubation medium to permit the use of concentrations of added fatty acids that would swamp the effects of endogenous fatty acids. The addition of albumin had little effect on the incorporation of palmitic acid and stearic acid into lipids including triacylglycerols. By contrast, a critical concentration of albumin (about 60 muM) was required before incorporation of oleic acid or linoleic acid into triacylglycerols occurred. The system was used to study the incorporation of different 1-14C-labelled fatty acids from a mixture of unesterified fatty acids [palmitic acid 30%; stearic acid 10%; oleic acid 40%; linoleic acid 20% (molar percentages)] separately into the positions 1,2 and 3 of triacyl-sn-glycerols. In general the stereo-specific distribution of the labelled fatty acids incorporated into triacylglycerols paralleled the normal distribution of fatty acids within rat adipose-tissue triacylglycerols, suggesting that the specificities of the relevant acyltrasferases have the major role in determining the positional distribution of fatty acids within triacylglycerols.     

Relationship between polyreactive properties of immunoglobulins and level of lipids in them

Presented paper deals with the relationship between immunoglobulin polyreactive properties and its lipid composition. Serum blood immunoglobulin fraction of an intact rabbit as an experimental model was used. Immunoglobulins (Ig) obtained by this way were transformed into polyreactive immunoglobulins (PRIg) by treatment with chaotropic agent KSCN or reactive oxygen species (ROS) with usage of Fe2+, EDTA and ascorbic acid. It was demonstrated that native Ig were able to bind with immobilized antigen (ovalbumin) and this ability dramatically increased after transformation of Ig into PRIg. The high immunoreactivity of PRIg was associated with marked fall (by 2-3 fold) of total phospholipids as well as individual ones--sphingomyelin and phosphatidylcholine. The main fatty acids of the Ig and PRIg phospholipid fractions in the sequence to decreasing decrease were stearic, palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids. The treatment of Ig by chaotropic agent and ROS led to decrease of stearic acid and enhancement of oleic, linoleic and arachidonic acids. The level of free cholesterol of Ig did not differ from that of PRIg. At the same time the content of cholesterol esters of PRIg was substantially diminished if compare with Ig. The main fatty acids of the Ig and PRIg cholesterol ester fraction in the sequence to decreasing were arachidonic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and palmitoleic acids. Transformation of Ig into PRIg was accompanied by enhancement of stearic acid level and loss of docosapentaenoic, arachidonic and palmitoleic acids. The results presented here support the idea about non peroxidative manner of the phospholipid and cholesterol ester extrusion from Ig molecule under its transformation into PRIg. Rather the last process could be explained by the term of concurrent physico-chemical interaction of Ig molecule with chaotropic agent or ROS leading to fall of lipid content. The presented data for the first time provide us an opportunity to conclude that transformation of Ig into PRIG is associated with the marked loss of essential phospholipids and cholesterol esters by the Ig molecule. The probable implication of this process in development of immune imbalance under certain diseases associated with oxidative stress have been discussed.     

High plasmalogen and arachidonic acid content of canine myocardial sarcolemma: a fast atom bombardment mass spectroscopic and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopic characterization

Canine myocardial sarcolemma was purified, and its phospholipid constituents were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, and conventional techniques. Canine myocardial sarcolemma contained 2.7 mumol of lipid Pi/mg of protein which was comprised predominantly of choline glycerophospholipids (47%), ethanolamine glycerophospholipids (28%), and sphingomyelin (11%). Sarcolemmal phospholipids contained 40% plasmalogen which was quantitatively accounted for by choline (57% of choline glycerophospholipid) and ethanolamine (64% of ethanolamine glycerophospholipid) plasmalogens. Choline plasmalogens contained predominantly the vinyl ether of palmitic aldehyde though ethanolamine plasmalogens were composed predominantly of the vinyl ethers of stearic and oleic aldehydes. The majority of sarcolemmal ethanolamine glycerophospholipids (75%) contained arachidonic acid esterified to the sn-2 carbon. Sphingomyelin was composed predominantly of long-chain saturated fatty acids (stearic and arachidic) as well as substantial amounts (8%) of odd chain length saturated fatty acids. The possible functional role of these unusual phospholipid constituents is discussed.     

Localization of phosphatidylethanolamine in microsomal membranes and regulation of its distribution by the fatty acid composition

Rat liver microsomes were incubated with the monofunctional aminoreagent fluorescamine. Although the probe easily penetrated the membranes, two pools of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) could be detected. The first pool rapidly reacted with the probe and comprised 80% of the total PE. The second pool exhibited a very slow interaction. The two pools showed differences in fatty acid composition as well as in their sites of attachment. In vivo labeling with ethanolamine, glycerol, and palmitic and stearic acid resulted in a higher specific activity in the first pool after 1 hr; equilibration with the second pool took about 3 hr. No equilibration between the pools could be detected under in vitro conditions. In vivo incorporation of labeled fatty acids showed that palmitic and stearic acids were mainly incorporated into phosphatidylethanolamine by de novo synthesis, while linoleic and arachidonic acids were introduced through deacylation-reacylation processes. Injection of liposomes consisting of labeled synthetic phosphatidylethanolamines into the portal vein was followed by uptake by the hepatocytes and incorporation of the lipids into the microsomal membranes. Depending on the fatty acid composition of the injected lipid, one of either of the two pools became labeled. It is suggested that the fatty acid composition of a given phospholipid molecule exerts a signal function directing the lipid to its final intramembranous location.     

Kinetic profile of the cellular lipid composition in an oleaginous Yarrowia lipolytica capable of producing a cocoa-butter substitute from industrial fats

Cell growth, lipid accumulation and cellular lipid composition of Yarrowia lipolytica growing on mixtures of industrial fats containing stearic, oleic, linoleic and palmitic acid have been studied. During growth, the strain incorporated oleic and linoleic acids more rapidly than the saturated fatty acids. Relatively high lipid accumulation (up to 0.44 g of lipids per g of dry matter) was observed when stearic acid was included in the culture medium. In contrast, substrates rich in oleic acid did not favor cellular lipid accumulation. The accumulated lipids, mainly composed of triacylglycerols (45-55% w/w), demonstrated a different total fatty acid composition compared with that of the substrate; in all cases, the microorganism showed the unusual capacity to increase its cellular stearic acid level, even if this fatty acid was not found in high concentrations in the substrate. This permitted the synthesis of interesting lipid profiles with high percentages of stearic acid and non-negligible percentages of palmitic and oleic acid, with a composition resembling that of cocoa-butter.     

Formation of 1-O-2'-hydroxyalkyl glycerophosphatides from 1,2-heptadecanediol in myelinating brain

1,2-Heptadecanediol-2-(14)C was administered intracerebrally to 18-day-old rats, and its incorporation, after 8 hr, into the individual aliphatic moieties of the ethanolamine glycerophosphatides was determined. Much of the radioactivity was found in a lipid fraction identified as 1-O-2'-hydroxyheptadecyl glycerol. Evidence is presented that a major portion of the precursor was incorporated into 1-O-2'-hydroxyheptadecyl-2-acyl ethanolamine phosphatides. Some of the diol administered was degraded to palmitic acid. The palmitic acid-1-(14)C derived from 1,2-heptadecanediol-2-(14)C apparently served as precursor for stearic and oleic acids, which were found as acyl groups, and for the biosynthesis of the corresponding O-alkyl and O-alk-1-enyl glycerols. The data presented prove that biological dehydration of 1-O-2'-hydroxyalkyl glycerophosphatides to the corresponding plasmalogens does not occur in myelinating brain.     

Composition and synthesis of fatty acids in atherosclerotic aortas of the pigeon

The composition, synthesis, and esterification of fatty acids were studied in aortas of White Carneau and Show Racer pigeons after perfusion of the aortas with a medium containing acetate-1-(14)C. For both breeds of pigeons the principal change in aortic fatty acids, in response to an atherogenic diet, was a marked increase in the percentage of oleic acid in the cholesteryl ester fraction. In atherosclerotic aortas incorporation of acetate-1-(14)C into the phospholipid and glyceride fractions increased 2-fold, while a much greater increase (up to 10-fold) was seen in incorporation into cholesteryl esters. In those birds receiving the atherogenic diet, palmitic acid accounted for approximately 50% of the fatty acid radioactivity, compared with approximately 25% from control aortas. Calculation of fatty acid synthesis showed the major newly synthesized fatty acids to be stearic acid in the phospholipid fraction; stearic, palmitic, and oleic acids in the glycerides; and oleic acid in the cholesteryl esters. The pattern of fatty acid synthesis was closely similar to the actual fatty acid composition of the aorta. In atherosclerotic aortas an increased synthesis of all fatty acids was seen, but the greatest increase was seen in the synthesis of oleic acid and its esterification to cholesterol.