N-3 essential fatty acid deficiency affects a number of biological and physiological processes. In this study, we investigated the effect of n-3 essential fatty acid status on two key pineal biochemical functions, melatonin production and lipoxygenation, using pineal glands from rats given an n-3-adequate or n-3-deficient diet. The pineal total lipid profile and phospholipid molecular species d...

This study was undertaken to determine the mode of transport of the essential (n-3) fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid 22:6(n-3) and linolenic acid 18:3(n-3). Male weanling Sprague-Dawley rats received a mixture of corn oil and [14C]18:3(n-3) or [14C]22:6(n-3) by gavage. At periods of 1 to 4 days after the injection, four rats per time point were killed and samples of blood were taken via heart p...

Rats were fed a purified diet containing either 1.5% sunflower oil [940 mg linoleic acid [18:2(n-6)]/100 g diet; 6 mg alpha-linolenic acid [18:3(n-3)]/300 g diet] or 1.9% soybean oil [940 mg 18:2(n-6)/100 g diet; 130 mg 18:3(n-3)/100 g diet]. In all cases and tissues examined 22:6(n-3) was lower and 22:5(n-6) was higher in rats fed sunflower oil than in rats fed soybean oil. Levels of 22:4(n-6)...