Nutritional (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids influence the behavioral responses to positive events in mice.

The effect of (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) diet deficiency on behavioural responses to appetitive events was assessed in OF1 mice. Pups fed the same diet (deficient in alpha-linolenic acid or a standard control diet) as their dams were used aged 7 to 11 weeks. In a free choice model, the preference for a sucrose solution in both males and females was significantly lower in deficient than in control mice. Morphine conditioned place preference was obtained with the two diets at 8 and 16 mg/kg morphine, but the lower dose of 4 mg/kg induced a place preference in control but not in (n-3) deficient mice. Taken together, these results suggest that a nutritional (n-3) PUFA deficiency can alter the responsiveness to appetitive events.

Seasonal and sex-linked variations in hepatic and extrahepatic biotransformation activities in striped mullet (Mullus barbatus).

Microsomal cytochrome P450 content, NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, and phase I (ethoxycoumarin and ethoxyresorufin O-dealkylases) and phase II (glutathione S-transferase and UDP-glucuronyltransferase) activities were studied in the liver and intestine of the striped mullet (Mullus barbatus) for 8 months (before and during sexual maturation). Biotransformation activities were much lower in extrahepatic tissues than the corresponding activities in the liver. Intestinal and hepatic biotransformation activities presented similar seasonal fluctuations: Phase I activity increased from October to February (during water cooling) and generally decreased before spawning; Phase II activity was not greatly different. Moreover, NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, ethoxyresorufin O-dealkylase, and glutathione S-transferase activities were measured in the kidney during the sexual maturation period. Renal phase I and phase II activities showed very little fluctuation during the 5 months studied. Cytochrome P450 and ethoxycoumarin and ethoxyresorufin O-dealkylases exhibited sex-linked differences during sexual maturation, whatever the tissue: in the liver the values are higher in male fish, whereas in the intestine and kidney they are lower.

The uptake metabolism and biological half-life of benzo[a]pyrene in different tissues of sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax.

The disposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aquatic organisms is of interest from the viewpoint of both animal and human health. The kinetics of uptake and metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) were studied in various tissues of the marine fish, sea bass, upon intraperitoneal injection of the compound. A decrease in radioactivity occurred in all tissues and the calculated half-lives were 12.4 days for fat, 6.5 for kidney, 5.1 for intestine, 4.8 for gallbladder, 4.5 for spleen, 2.9 for muscle, 2.4 for whole body, 2.3 for gonads, 2.3 for gills, and 2.2 for liver. The kinetics of distribution of radioactivity between alkali and hexane tissue extracts were determined in order to assess the overall metabolic potential of various organs. The liver, intestine, gills, and kidney displayed a relatively high metabolic potential in comparison with the spleen, muscle, gonads, and fat. The significance of the observations with respect to understanding mechanisms of toxicity is briefly discussed. Attention is specifically drawn to the presence of a fairly active metabolism or metabolite redistribution system in the muscle and the potential for exposure of blood cells to metabolites via hydrocarbon transformation processes in the spleen. This in vivo study, in which hydrocarbon disposition was studied in various tissues, also supports the hypothesis that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons should not bioaccumulate to any significant degree in fish and that exposure of humans to such compounds through the consumption of fish products can be expected to be minimal.

Simultaneous preparation of basolateral and brush-border membrane vesicles from sea bass intestinal epithelium.

A method is described for simultaneous preparation of brush-border and basolateral sea bass enterocyte membranes using simple differential centrifugation and discontinuous sucrose gradient density centrifugation techniques. Basolateral membranes were purified with a Na+/K(+)-ATPase yield of about 11% of the original activity, with an enrichment factor of 12. The yield of maltase-glucoamylase, a specific marker of brush-border membranes, was also about 11% of the original activity, with 15-fold enrichment. The characteristics of these membrane preparations were determined. Electron microscopy analysis showed that these two membrane preparations were uniform in size and vesicular in nature. Orientation studies revealed that the luminal membrane vesicles were right-side out and 43% of the antiluminal membrane vesicles were sealed inside out. Investigation of D-glucose and L-leucine uptake showed that these two plasma membrane preparations retained their transport properties.