Depletion of dietary n-3 fatty acid affects the level of cyclic AMP in rathippocampus

Prolonged depletion of dietary n-3 fatty acid induces a neurological distur bance. To ascertain the deficit of neurotransmission at the time of n-3 def iciency, the concentrations of cAMP and inositol triphosphate, and the acti vities of protein kinases A and C were examined in vitro in rat hippocampus . Furthermore, the saturation binding study of [H-3]quinuclidinyl benzilate , a specific antagonist to muscarinic cholinergic receptor, was performed. Rats were fed a safflower oil diet as the deficient group and a soybean oil diet as the control group. Hippocampi were obtained from rats in the 3rd g eneration in the deficient group and in the 2nd generation in the control g roup. Dietary effect was not observed in the parameters except for the conc entration of cAMP, which was significantly higher in the deficient group th an in the control group.