The modification of mammalian membrane polyunsaturated fatty acid composition in relation to membrane fluidity and function

Lipids of mitochondria

Docosahexaenoic acid: membrane properties of a unique fatty acid.

http://morelife.org/references/full_papers/10817922.pdf

Essential fatty acids and the brain: possible health implications.

Objective: To review the role of essential fatty acids in brain membrane function and in the genesis of psychi- atric disease. Results: The fatty acid composition of neuronal cell membrane phospholipids reflects their intake in the diet. The degree of a fatty acid's desaturation determines its 3-dimensional structure and, thus, membrane fluidity and function. The ratio between omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), in particular, in- fluences various aspects of serotoninergic and catecholaminergic neurotransmission, as shown by studies in animal models. Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) hydrolyzes fatty acids from membrane phospholipids: liberated omega-6 PUFAs are metabolized to prostaglandins with a higher inflammatory potential, compared with those generated from the omega-3 family. Thus the activity of PLA2 coupled with membrane fatty acid composition may play a central role in the development of neuronal dysfunction. Intervention trials in human subjects show that omega-3 fatty acids have possible positive effects in the treatment of various psychiatric disorders, but more data are needed to make conclusive directives in this regard. Conclusion: The ratio of membrane omega-3 to omega-6 PUFAs can be modulated by dietary intake. This ra- tio influences neurotransmission and prostaglandin formation, processes that are vital in the maintenance of normal brain function. (Can J Psychiatry 2003;48:195-203)

Essential fatty acids and the brain.

The influence of diets having different fatty acids composition on the fatty acid content of (the phospholipids) of rat liver mitochondria and microsomes, heart mitochondria, brain mitochondria and microsonies has been analyzed. It has been found that each organelle has its own peculiar composition in fatty acids. This composition may be profoundly influenced by the diet, but to different degrees in different organelles. Those of brain are most resistant.



The changes observed are rather rapid, being generally already maximal after three weeks of treatment. The parallel between fatty acid composition of diets, and the changes observed in the organelles, is not strict, and is probably influenced by the metabolic competition among oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid. Unusual fatty acids like crucic acid. trans-oleic acid. and trans-linoleic acid can also become incorporated into the membranes of cell organelles.

https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1432-1033.1981.tb06421.x

Max Blum

Papers

The Fatty Acid Composition of Subcellular Membranes of Rat Liver, Heart, and Brain : Diet-Induced Modifications