Fatty acids and ultrastructure of ozone-exposed Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) needles.

Fifteen or 18-month-old Aleppo pine seedlings were fumigated with different concentrations and doses of ozone over a period of 2-16 days in controlled-environmental growth chambers. The total fatty acid content and ultrastructure of the current year needles were subsequently analysed. In acute, high concentration exposures, significant reductions in the levels of linolenic acid were detected. Increases in myristic or palmitic acid were common in needles exposed to lower concentrations of ozone. Ultrastructural studies revealed reductions in chloroplast size and a darkening of stroma at low ozone exposures while at high concentrations disruption of the chloroplast membranes was also identified.

Boreal freshwater fish diet modifies the plasma lipids and prostanoids and membrane fatty acids in man.

The effect of fish diet on 43 healthy male students was studied. They ate a fish-containing meal for 15 weeks on an average of 3.7 times per week. Twenty-one of them voluntarily restricted their lipid intake while the rest ate normally. Controls continued their usual eating habits (19 students). The meals consisted of Finnish freshwater fish (87%) (vendace, pike, perch and rainbow trout) and brackish water fish (13%) (Baltic herring) that provided about 1 g of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids per day (0.25 g eicosapentaenoic acid and 0.55 g docosahexaenoic acid). During the diet, omega-3 fatty acids increased in erythrocyte ghosts and platelets at the expense of omega-6 fatty acids. The concentration of serum cholesterol diminished in those fish consumers who lowered their lipid intake. Apolipoprotein A1 and B were lowered in both fish-consuming groups. Triglyceride levels also showed a tendency to decrease. The formation of thromboxane B2 during incubation of whole blood decreased in both fish-consuming groups. The decrease of plasma 6-keto-PGF1 alpha was not statistically significant, if compared with the controls. The results obtained indicate that a moderate intake of fish-containing meals has some beneficial effects on the plasma lipid and prostanoid metabolism, when coronary heart disease risk factors are considered.

Relationship of branched-chain alpha-keto-acids and lipids in sera of hypertriglyceridemic subjects.

According to the present study, in hyperlipidemias where triglyceride values in serum are raised, the triglyceride values are associated with increased amounts of branched-chain alpha-keto-acids (BCKA) in the serum. In particular, the concentration of alpha-ketoisocaproic acid (KICA), which in the control sera was 34.4 mumol/l, was in type IIB hyperlipidemia 40.4% and in type IV 49.4% higher than in controls with normal serum lipid values. In type IV hyperlipidemia, values for alpha-ketoisovaleric acid (KIVA) and alpha-keto-beta-methyl-n-valeric acid (KMVA) were also high when compared to the corresponding mean values of the controls, 7.1 and 18.8 mumol/l. The respective differences were 57.7 and 44.1 per cent. In type IIB hyperlipidemia, KIVA was significantly and KMVA insignificantly increased compared to the control group. In type IIA hyperlipidemia with normal triglyceride values, none of the three BCKA differed significantly from the controls. These results also indicate that the increased amounts of individual BCKA somehow depend on the concentration of triglycerides in serum, while no relationship was found between BCKA values and cholesterol concentration.

Seasonal variations of lipid fatty acids of boreal freshwater fish species.

1. The fatty acid levels of muscle and liver lipids of perch, vendace and rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) cultivated in the same area (for comparison) were monitored. 2. The total lipid content in the muscle of perch (Perca fluviatilis) and vendace (Coregonus albula) was less than 50% of that in rainbow trout and a seasonal variation was clear only in vendace. 3. The relative amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as omega-3 acids were higher in vendace and perch than in cultivated rainbow trouts. Arachidonic acid content was much higher in vendace and perch than in rainbow trout. The content of monoenes was considerably higher in rainbow trout than in free freshwater fish. 4. The seasonal variations in the degree of unsaturation were small in fish muscle. 5. In the muscle of rainbow trout the relative amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids diminished with the increase of total lipids.

Determination of cyclic 3'-5'-adenosine monophosphate in plasma by RIA methods in the presence of EDTA.

Calcium ions definitively increase the ability of cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) to bind to its antibody. In contrast, ethylenedinitrolotetra-acetic acid as its disodium salt (EDTA) shows a dose-dependent inhibition of the binding of cAMP to its antibody. The less sensitive protein binding methods are not affected by EDTA. This is inconvenient, because the EDTA-plasmas can be stored frozen without breakdown of cAMP, but are unsuitable for sensitive radioimmunoassays. The aim of this investigation was to determine how calcium ions and EDTA affect the binding of cAMP to its antibody. Based on these results, we describe an alternative procedure for commercial RIA methods for the determination of cAMP in EDTA-plasma. The almost complete inhibition of the hapten-antibody reaction by EDTA can be abolished by adding an equivalent concentration of calcium ions to the reaction medium together with trichloroacetic acid. Thus a simple and rapid procedure was found for the storage of plasma and for the determination of plasma cAMP.

The effect of ethanol on the release of free fatty acids from the brain in vivo; a study with push-pull cannula.

The release of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) in vivo from the brain after a single dose of ethanol (3 g/kg) in naive rats was studied. A guide cannula was implanted stereotaxically above the striatum. After one week the striatum of the freely moving rat was superfused through a push-pull cannula with artificial CSF. One hour samples were collected. The concentrations of NEFA were measured by GC in four samples, one before and three after ethanol or water was given by gavage. Preliminary results suggest that the concentrations of palmitate and stearate in superfusate decrease after ethanol administration. Of the unsaturated NEFA only oleic and linoleic acids were found in the superfusion fluid even then only in trace amounts and with no major change after ethanol. It remains to be studied whether the reduced outflow of saturated NEFA is related to the increased rigidity of membranes.

Serum fatty acids, apolipoproteins, selenium and vitamin antioxidants and the risk of death from coronary artery disease.

The independent association of serum concentrations of saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, apolipoproteins AI and B, selenium and vitamins A and E with the risk of death from coronary artery disease (CAD) was studied in 92 persons with no previous myocardial infarction, who died from CAD during a 5-year follow-up, and their 92 1-to-1 matched controls. Case-control pairs came from a randomly drawn population sample of approximately 12,000 persons aged 30 to 64 years from 2 provinces of eastern Finland, an area with exceptionally high CAD mortality. Control subjects were matched for sex, age, serum cholesterol, mean arterial pressure, tobacco consumption and history of cardiovascular diseases. The persons who died of CAD had lower serum esterified arachidonic acid concentrations before follow-up than the control subjects (41 vs 48 mg/liter, p = 0.05), and this difference was greater for pairs with no chest pain on effort (36 vs 50 mg/liter, p less than 0.05). The adjusted risk of CAD death in persons with a serum polyunsaturated to saturated (P/S) fatty acid ratio of 0.28 or less (in the lowest tertile) was 3.5-fold (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5 to 8.2) compared with those with higher serum P/s ratios in a multivariate logistic model and 5.6-fold (95% CI 1.6 to 19.8) for pairs with no chest pain on effort. A low serum apolipoprotein AI concentration (1.25 g/liter or less, in the lowest tertile) was associated with a 2.5-fold (95% CI 1.1 to 5.7) adjusted risk of CAD death among the chest pain-free persons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Gas chromatographic determination of serum branched-chain alpha-keto acids derivatized by extractive alkylation.

The procedure presented for gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of alpha-keto acids is relatively simple, requiring only a few steps for the formation of derivatives suitable for measurement. The recoveries of the branched-chain alpha-keto acids varied from 92.7% to 106.7%, being sufficiently good especially when smaller amounts of the alpha-keto acids were added to serum. In addition, the coefficients of variation are satisfactorily small, also for biological samples. The measured values of branched-chain alpha-keto acids correspond well with those presented earlier by different methods. There exists a slight but insignificant difference between women and men, the values being lower in sera of women for the three branched-chain alpha-keto acids studied.

Quantification of a number of biogenic amines and their metabolites in brain homogenates by gas chromatography--mass spectrometry.

A sensitive method is described for the assay of various biogenic amines and their metabolites from brain tissue homogenates. Based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and selected ion monitoring, the method allows reliable low-level quantification of the compounds of interest. By careful study of reaction conditions both in the preparation of derivatives for gas chromatography and in the synthesis of deuterated analogues for internal standard use, relatively simple procedures could be applied with good analytical efficiency. Correlation of the results with those obtained by a high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure was also investigated, and a neurologic application of the method is briefly discussed.

Simultaneous measurement of free and esterified fatty acids by gas chromatography from normal and type IV hyperlipoproteinaemic sera.

A transmethylated reaction of esterified fatty acids with sodium- methoxide in a mixture of serum, petroleum ether and methanol is presented. In the conditions used the free fatty acids in the sample were not esterified. 1-2 microliters of the organic phase was injected into an OV-351 fused silica capillary column of gas liquid chromatography (GLC) fitted with flameionizing detector (FID) temperature program, and calculating integrator. By this method both free and esterified fatty acids were measured in a single run. The development of the present method for the better quantitation of free fatty acids is in progress as using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for identification of the peaks. In thirteen healthy subjects, the serum free fatty acid content was 538 +/- 176 mumol/l and free glycerol 107 +/- 39 mumol/l, while in seven type IV hyperlipoproteinaemic sera the corresponding values were 1049 +/- 529 and 86 +/- 38 mumol/l. The most prominent differences between healthy and type IV hyperlipoproteinaemic subjects for esterified fatty acids were found in palmitic, oleic and arachidonic acids. The correlations between free and bound fatty acids has been discussed.

Relationship between serum lipids, lipoproteins and pseudocholinesterase during organophosphate poisoning in rabbits.

The activities of serum pseudocholinesterase, lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) and gamma-glutamyltransferase in rabbits were investigated before and after dichlorvos administration in vivo. The effects of this organophosphate on some serum lipids and lipoprotein fractions were also determined. LCAT activity remained almost unaffected after organophosphate administration. However, serum gamma-glutamyltransferase and pseudocholinesterase activities markedly decreased. Dichlorvos markedly lowered both serum low density lipoprotein (LDL) and cholesterol contents, whereas high density lipoprotein (HDL) concentration increased and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) remained unaffected. Triglycerides as well as esterified fatty acids increased significantly but the statistical changes in free fatty acid concentrations were not significant, because individual variations in fatty acid concentrations were high.