[Effects of conjugates of linolenic acid and erucic acid on rat cardiac and liver lipids]

Abstract

Cardiac and liver lipids (triglycerides and phospholipids) were analyzed in weanling rats fed for 8 days diets containing 15% by weight of four different lipid mixtures: trierucin and peanut oil (1/1), trierucin and linseed oil (1/1), triolein and peanut oil (1/1), triolein and linseed oil (1/1). Linolenic acid (8 cal% of the diet) does not influence the steatogenic effect of erucic acid (15 cal% of the diet) on the myocardium but seems to increase the hepatic conversion of erucic acid into shorter monoenes (C 18:1 mainly). The (n-6), (n-3) fatty acid spectra in heart and liver phospholipids are strongly affected when linolenic acid is added to the diet whereas erucic acid has little effect.