Eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids reduce arachidonic acid release by rat kidney microsomes

The effects of eicosapentaenoic (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA, 22:6n-3) on the phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2))-mediated release of arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n-6) were studied in kidney microsomes from rats fed diets containing sunflower oil (SO) or fish oil (FO) concentrate for 11 months. The amounts of AA released by the endogenous PLA, enzyme were significantly lower by 38% in the FO, compared to the SO-fed rats (23.2 nmol versus 60.7 nmol AA released/mg protein/h in the FO- and SO-treated groups, respectively). The FO-derived microsomes released less linoleic acid (LA, 18:2n-6) and adrenic acid (22:4n-6), but larger amounts of the n-3 fatty acids, including EPA, DHA, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22:5n-3), and 20:4n-3 than the SO-derived microsomes, A similar replacement of the AA and adrenic acid with the n-3 fatty acids including EPA and DHA was also observed in the microsomal phospholipid fraction from the FO-fed rats relative to the SO-treated group. The results suggest that the PLA,-mediated release of AA is reduced and that of EPA is increased in compensation for AA decline in kidney microsomes from FO-fed rats (0.7 nmol EPA/mg protein/h versus 22.7 nmol EPA/mg protein/h for the SO and FO-treated groups). Replacement of the n-6 with n-3 fatty acids may explain the reduced synthesis of the AA-derived prostaglandins and the concomitant rise in the EPA-derived prostaglandins observed in kidneys of FO-treated rats.