Regional Studies of Changes in Brain Fatty Acids Following Experimental Ischaemia and Reperfusion in the Gerbil

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Abstract
Regional studies of brain phospholipid metabolism were carried out during a period of ischemia induced in the gerbil by bilateral carotid occlusion for 60 min. The associated changes in free fatty acids (FFA) during this period and following recirculation for up to 180 min were noted. Following ischemia there was a generalized rise in the levels of all FFA with no selective release of either the unsaturated (arachidonic and docosahexaenoic) or saturated (palmitic and stearic) fatty acids. There were no observed differences between the brain regions studied. There was no indication of any specific phospholipid fraction being involved in FFA release. The release of FFA from phospholipids is a nonspecific event, probably due to the action of hydrolytic lipases. Restoration of the circulation resulted in a short, sharp increase (within 5 min) in all FFA, but in contrast to the observations during ischemia alone there was a relatively larger rise in the unsaturated FFA as compared to the saturated FFA. Following this increase there was a gradual general decline in all FFA levels until 180 min of reperfusion. Since there was no preferential depletion of unsaturated FFA during reperfusion, when free radical attack is considered to be at its maximum, free radical peroxidation is unlikely to explain the pathology described in the model.