Effects of a low dietary linoleic acid level on intestinal morphology and enterocyte brush border membrane lipid composition
The influence of low dietary linoleic acid level (an essential fatty acid deficiency) on the intestine mucosal morphology and the purified brush border membrane (BBM) lipid composition was investigated in the rat. Electron micrographs and morphometric measurements showed that villi and crypt sizes a...
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Published in | Reproduction, nutrition, development Vol. 31; no. 6; pp. 691 - 701 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English French |
Published |
France
EDP Sciences
1991
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The influence of low dietary linoleic acid level (an essential fatty acid deficiency) on the intestine mucosal morphology and the purified brush border membrane (BBM) lipid composition was investigated in the rat. Electron micrographs and morphometric measurements showed that villi and crypt sizes as well as the ultrastructure of epithelial cells were altered. Cholesterol (CHOL) and phospholipid (PL) levels, CHOL/PL ratio and PL class distribution were not changed by the low linoleate diet. However, the fatty acid composition of phospholipids was markedly modified in the enterocyte BBM, showing elevated amounts of palmitoleic (16:1n-7), oleic (18:1n-9) and 5,8,11-eicosatrienoic (20:3n-9) acids and, by contrast, depressed linoleic (18:2n-6) and arachidonic (20:4n-6) acid levels. Although the underlying mechanisms remain unknown the results obtained suggest that essential fatty acids (EFA) could be directly involved in the trigger action of the observed alterations, as regards both their dynamic (metabolic) and structural roles. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0926-5287 1297-9708 |
DOI: | 10.1051/rnd:19910609 |