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The Interrelated Effects of n-6/n-3 and Polyunsaturated/Saturated Ratios of Dietary Fats on the Regulation of Lipid Metabolism in Rats¹

Laboratory of Nutrition Chemistry, Kyushu University School of Agriculture 46-09, Fukuoka 812, Japan

The effects of various n-6/n-3 (0.45–9.31) and polyunsaturated/saturated (P/S; 0.25–6.08) ratios of dietary fatty acids on various lipid parameters were studied in rats using a combination of palm oil, safflower oil, soybean oil and perilla oil. When the n-6/n-3 ratio was changed while maintaining a constant P/S ratio (1.2), the concentration of serum cholesterol tended to increase linearly with the increasing n-6/n-3 ratio, whereas liver cholesterol tended to decrease. Serum triglyceride level increased linearly up to a n-6/n-3 ratio of approximately 5, whereas liver triglyceride was not influenced. When the n-6/n-3 ratio was kept relatively constant (5.6–6.4), serum and liver cholesterol levels decreased up to a P/S ratio of approximately 2, whereas serum triglyceride tended to be low below this value. The ratio of arachidonate to linoleate in tissue phosphatidylcholine (PC) was also influenced by the n-6/n-3 and P/S ratios; it increased up to a n-6/n-3 ratio of approximately 4, whereas it decreased up to a P/S ratio of approximately 2. The percentage of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid (n-3) in tissue phosphatidylcholine was positively related to dietary n-3 fatty acid levels. Prostacyclin (PGI₂) production by thoracic aorta reached a plateau at a n-6/n-3 ratio of approximately 5, whereas it tended to decrease with an increasing P/S ratio. Platelet production of thromboxane A₂ exhibited a parabola-like pattern with a peak value at a n-6/n-3 ratio of approximately 2, whereas it was independent of the P/S ratio. These results indicate that a P/S ratio of approximately 2 and a n-6/n-3 ratio of approximately 5 are the points of maximum influence upon the lipid level and eicosanoid production.

KEY WORDS: • dietary fat • polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio • n-6/n-3 ratio • serum and liver lipids • thromboxane A₂ • prostacyclin • phospholipid • male rats

¹ Supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research B (63740110) from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

Manuscript received 29 December 1988. Revision accepted 26 June 1989.

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