Alterations in Cerebral and Microvascular Prostaglandin Synthesis by Manipulation of Dietary Essential Fatty Acids

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Abstract
Sprague‐Dawley rats were fed one of three purified diets—10% corn oil, 10% hydrogenated coconut oil, or 10% linseed oil—through two generations. At 60–80 days of age the animals were sacrificed. The fatty acyl composition of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidyletha‐nolamine, plasmalogen phosphatidylethanolamine, and combined phosphatidylinositol/phosphatidylserine from cerebral cortex and isolated cerebral microvessels was determined. Brain slice prostaglandin F2α or microvas‐cular prostacyclin synthesis was also measured. Major changes were noted in the fatty acid profiles, most dramatically in the phosphatidylethanolamine and ethanol‐amine plasmalogen fractions, with an active rise in docosahexaenoic acid resulting from linseed oil feeding. A depression in prostaglandin F2α synthesis was seen in brain slices of hydrogenated coconut oil‐and linseed oil‐fed rats. Such a depression was also observed in micro‐vascular prostaglandin synthesis at basal and stimulated levels but not in control incubations. The potential importance of these findings to cerebral microcirculation and hemostasis is discussed.