Effects of a nutritional deficiency of unsaturated fats on the distribution of fatty acids in rat liver mitochondrial phospholipids

The fatty acid composition of liver mitochondrial phospholipids from rats rendered deficient in essential unsaturated fatty acids has been determined, and compared with that of rats fed a diet containing corn oil. In addition to marked reductions in the amounts of linoleic and arachidonic acids esterified at the β-position of ethanolamine-, inositol-, and choline glycerophosphatides, the deficiency resulted in extensive changes in the distribution of saturated acids at both the α- and β-positions. Palmitoleic and oleic acids were increased in amount in fat deficiency, and large amounts of docosatrienoic acids appeared in these three phospholipids. The fatty acids of the sphingomyelins were not altered as a result of essential fatty acid deficiency.The data demonstrate that each phospholipid is unique in the way in which its fatty acid moieties change in response to feeding a fat deficient diet.