Developmental fatty acid changes in different parts of the rat brain
Smídová, L.; Baśe, J.; Koudelová, J.; Mourek, J.
Physiologia Bohemoslovaca 33(5): 427-436
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0369-9463 PMID: 6505074 Document Number: 238660
The proportion of 26 fatty acids (FA) in the lipids of the cerebral cortex, subcortical formations (the thalamus, hypothalamus and basal ganglia) and the medulla oblongta was studied in rats aged 5, 10, 14 and 90 days. Very marked developmental changes in the proportion of the various FA were demonstrated in the different parts of the brain. In the cerebral cortex the proportion of 17:1 rose by 285%, 18:3 n-3 by 1820% and 22:6 n-3 by 80%, while the proportion of 14:0, 16:0 and 16:1 fell significantly. In the tissue of subcortical formations we found an increase in the proportion of FA with 18 carbons (18:0 by 40%, 18:1 by 100%, 18:3 n-3 by over 5000%) and a decrease in the proportion of 14:0, 16:0, 16:1 and 20:4 n-6. The situation in medulla oblongata tissue was similar to the one in subcortical formations. On comparing the porportion of FA in individual parts of the CNS in the same age category, the smallest number of statistically significant differences were found in 5-day-old rats. In adult rats significant differences were found chiefly in the proportion of palmitic acid (16:0), oleic acid (18:1), linolenic acid (18:3 n-3) and acids with 20-22 carbons.