Effect of dietary fat saturation on lipid metabolism, arachidonic acid turnover and peritoneal macrophage oxidative stress in mice

We investigated the effects of a saturated fat diet on lipid metabolism and arachidonic acid (AA) turnover in mouse resident peritoneal macrophages. The pro-oxidative effect of this diet was also studied. Female C57BL/6 mice were weaned at 21 days of age and assigned to either the experimental diet containing coconut oil (COCO diet), or the control diet containing soybean oil as fat source (10 mice per group). The fat content of each diet was 15 percent (w/w). Mice were fed for 6 weeks and then sacrificed. The concentration of total lipids, triglycerides, (LDL + VLDL)-cholesterol, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and reduced glutathione were increased in the plasma of mice fed the COCO diet, without changes in phospholipid or total cholesterol concentrations compared to control. The concentrations of total cholesterol, free and esterified cholesterol, triglycerides, and TBARS were increased in the macrophages of COCO-fed mice, while the content of total phospholipids did not change. The phospholipid composition showed an increase of phosphatidylcholine and a decrease of phosphatidylethanolamine. The [ H]-AA distribution in the phospholipid classes showed an increase in phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. Incorporation of [ H]-cholesterol into the macrophages of COCO-fed mice and into the cholesterol ester fraction was increased. The COCO diet did not affect [ H]-AA uptake but induced an increase in [ H]-AA release. The COCO diet also enhanced AA mobilization induced by lipopolysaccharide. These results indicate that the COCO diet, high in saturated fatty acids, alters the lipid metabolism and AA turnover of peritoneal macrophages in female mice and also produces a significant degree of oxidative stress.

Morphologic and biochemical changes in male rat lung after surgical and pharmacological castration

The morphology of the rat lung was studied by light microscopy in different situations: after surgical and pharmacological castration and after administration of testosterone to the castrated rat to determine if the androgen is required to maintain the normal morphology of the lung. We also determined the effect of flutamide on the phospholipid composition of both the surfactant and microsomes of the lung. Rats were separated into five groups: I - control non-castrated rats, II - castrated rats sacrificed 21 days after castration, III - castrated rats that received testosterone daily from day 2 to day 21 after castration, IV - castrated rats that received testosterone from day 15 to day 21 after castration, and V - control rats injected with flutamide for 7 days. The amount of different phospholipids in the surfactant and microsomes of the lung was measured in group I and V rats. At the light microscopy level, the surgical and pharmacological castration provoked alterations in the morphology of the lung, similar to that observed in human lung emphysema. The compositions of surfactant and microsomes of the lung were similar to those previously reported by us for the surgically castrated rats. These results indicate that androgens are necessary for the normal morphology as well as for some metabolic aspects of the lung.

Effects of the diet consumed during the pregnancy on the lipids content in maternal and fetal rat lungs [published erratum appears in Biol Res 1993; 26(3): xi

This study was designed to determine if the quantity of lipids in the diet fed to pregnant rats would affect the deposition of fat in the fetal lung. Wistar rats were fed with two different diets during pregnancy: Standard Diet (StD; 4.000 cal/g) and High Fat Carbohydrate Free Diet (HFCFD; 6.000 cal/g). The rats consumed daily the same amount of calories from these different diets. The concentrations of triglycerides (TG), phospholipids (PL), total, esterified and free cholesterol (TC, EC and FC, respectively) were determined in serum and lung from pregnant rats as well as from their 19 day old fetuses. In the serum of rats fed with HFCFD, the cholesterol concentration increased in relation to that of rats fed with StD. In pregnant rat lung, the PL concentrations decreased and the TC, EC and FC concentrations increased with HFCFD in relation to StD. The triglycerides were not modified in any case. The lipidic composition of the sera and fetal lung were not changed by the two diets consumed by pregnant rats. This may be a biological protective mechanism to assure an adequate synthesis of alveolar surfactant

Harina de Cassia aphylla. Estudio de la composicion quimica y calidad biologica de la proteina. / Cassia aphylla flour.Study of the chemical composition and biological quality of the protein

El presente estudio se realizo con el objeto de establecer las caracteristicas quimicas y biologicas de la harina de Cassia aphylla. El estudio quimico porcentual evidencio un buen contenido proteinico, asi como de calcio, fosforo, hierro, acido ascorbico, niacina y tiamina. La determinacion de aminoacidos demostro que la harina en estudio es una fuente muy buena de lisina y aminoacidos azufrados.La utilizacion proteinica neta (NPU) encontrada fue de 54.70 mas o menos 2.45, la digestibilidade, de 71.00 mas o menos 0.3 y el valor biologico, de 77.00. La razon de eficiencia proteinica (PER) fue de 1.74 corregida con respecto a la caseina. Para determinar su inocuidad se realizaron ensayos toxicologicos en ratas durante un periodo de 30 dias.Los analisis hematologicos, peso de organos, composicion del higado y rinon, no mostraron dano patologico en las condiciones en que se realizo el ensayo. A partir de estos resultados, es posible concluir que el producto estudiado es un buen recurso para la alimentacion animal