EFFECT OF DIFFERENT DIET ON THE LUNG FATTY-ACID MODIFICATION

The effect of dietary fat on the composition of lung fatty acids was s tudied in Fischer rats fed two experimental semisynthetic, isocaloric diets containing different qualities of fat (low fat diet (LFD) and me dium-chain triacylglycerols diet (MCTD)). The effect of MCTs preparati on on the lung phospho- and neutral lipids is manifested as a change i n the degree of saturation expressed as a ratio of saturation index (R S(i)) MCTD vs. CD. The saturation increased; in neutral lipids by 70%, in phosphatidylcholine fraction by 152.6%, and in other phospholipids by 39.5%. The results on the fatty acid composition of lipids obtaine d using LFD showed the effect of desaturation expressed as a-ratio of desaturation index (RD(i)), in phosphatidylcholine fraction -1.95. The observed effect of desaturation was a consequence of the administered LFD, which contains a lower amount of essential fatty acids, which st rongly affects the conversion of palmitic acid into palmitooleic acid. The LFD can be useful as a carbohydrate diet in a special clinical si tuation only if enriched with a certain amount of essential fatty acid s, especially linoleic acid.