THE EFFECT OF ETHANOL AND DIAZEPAM ON THE FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION OF PLASMA AND LIVER PHOSPHOLIPIDS IN THE RAT

The main interest of the present study was to determine possible alter ations in fatty acid composition in rat plasma and liver phospholipids (PL) caused by chronic ethanol consumption, diazepam treatment and ch ronic consumption of alcohol and diazepam together. Chronic ethanol co nsumption (11 g/kg/d) elevated the proportion of plasma saturated (SFA ) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), and decreased the most impor tant polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in plasma and liver PL. The al terations in fatty acid composition in liver PL indicate that ethanol can change the composition of cell membrane lipids. Diazepam treatment (10 mg/kg/d) elevated the contents of SFA and MUFA in plasma PL. On t he other hand, diazepam produced a drastic decrease in 22:6n-3 docosah exaenoic acid (DHA) in plasma and liver PL. These changes in plasma PL fatty acid composition indicated a disturbance of fatty acid metaboli sm. The changes in fatty acid contents of plasma and liver PL were the greatest in rats treated with a combination of ethanol and diazepam, in which there was a summation of the effects of ethanol or diazepam a lone, and the effects were intensified by an ethanol-diazepam interact ion.