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Effects of Dietary Long-Chain Fatty Acids on the Biosynthesis of Unsaturated Fatty Acids in the Rat¹

The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912

Menhaden oil (ME) was included in semisynthetic diets to study the effect of long-chain fatty acids, mainly 20:5n3 and 22:6n3, on the biosynthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids and on the 6- and 9-desaturase activities in liver microsomes. Five experimental diets, with the following fat supplements, were fed to male rats from weaning for a period of 33 weeks: 5% safflower oil (SAF) + 10% hydrogenated coconut oil (HCO), 5% SAF + 5% HCO + 5% ME, 5% SAF + 10% ME, 15% HCO and 5% HCO + 10% ME. The last two diets were deficient in linoleic acid. The three nondeficient diets contained similar amounts of linoleic acid. Including ME in the diets depressed the 6- and 9-desaturase activities, especially in the linoleic acid-deficient rats. The syntheses of 20:4n6, 22:4n6 and 22:5n6 were depressed. These effects were related to the preferential accumulation of dietary 20:5n3 and 22:6n3 in the liver microsomes, as compared to the n6 fatty acids. It is hypothesized that dietary 20:5n3 and 22:6n3 increase the minimum requirement for linoleic acid in the diet.

KEY WORDS: • polyunsaturated fatty acids • fatty acid desaturases • menhaden oil

¹ Supported in part by USPHS Grants AG 00174 from the National Institute on Aging, AM 04942 from the Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases, Grant No. HL 08214 from the Program Project Branch, Extramural Programs, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and by the Hormel Foundation.

² Present address: Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, University of Ghent, 19 Heidestraal, 9220 Merelbeke, Belgium.

³ To whom reprint requests should be addressed: The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912.

Manuscript received 31 August 1981.