ASPIRIN TOXICITY IN CHICKS GIVEN DIETS DEFICIENT IN LINOLEIC-ACID

The toxicity of dietary aspirin on growth rate and lipid metabolism wa s investigated under linoleic acid (LA; 18 :2n-6) deficient conditions . One-week-old chicks were given diets containing 0 or 2% LA with or w ithout 0.4% aspirin, until 4 weeks of age. Growth was severely depress ed by dietary aspirin when chicks were given the LA-free diet. The liv er was enlarged by both the aspirin and LA deficiency. The aspirin tre atment induced a significant increase of 18 : 0 and arachidonic acid ( 20 : 4n-6) and a decrease of 18 : 1n-9 in the liver. In chicks fed LA- free diets, the ratio of 20 : 3n-9/20 : 4n-6, which was used as an ind icator of LA deficiency, was suppressed by aspirin treatment. In concl usion, the present results suggest that aspirin toxicity is altered by dietary LA concentrations.