N-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACID-INDUCED CHANGES IN THE MOLECULAR-SPECIES COMPOSITION OF DIRADYLGLYCEROL IN MURINE PERITONEAL-MACROPHAGES REMAIN STABLE DURING INCUBATION EX-VIVO

Three- to four-week-old C57BL/6 mice were maintained for four weeks on diets in which the 10% lipid component was the ethyl esters of either corn oil or n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA). Incubation of macrophages ex vivo for 14 h, a normal incubation time used for macro phage studies, in the absence of fetal calf serum, did not diminish th e ex tent of incorporation of 20:5n-3 (eicosapentaenoic acid) and 22:6 n-3 (docosahexaenoic acid) moieties into membrane phospholipids and in to diradylglycerol (DG) relative to that after a very abbreviated incu bation time. We conclude that studies examining the effects of dietary n-3 PUFA on DG formation and related physiological effects in macroph ages fan be performed after a normal ex vivo incubation of at least 14 h without experiencing a significant loss of incorporated n-3 PUFA.