[Vitamin "A" and biological membranes. Nota VI-Fatty acid composition of liver mitochondrial membranes in vitamin A-deficient rats (author's transl)].

The results we obtained in studying the fatty acid composition of erythrocyte stroma on vitamin A-deficient rats, led us to repeat the experiment on liver mitochondrial membranes. Two groups of albino male rats, of the Wistar strain, were fed for 90 days with a balanced and a vitamin A-free diet respectively. The animals were killed, total lipid from the membranes of liver mitochondria were extracted and fatty acids separated by gas-chromatography. It was noticed an increase in the percentage of saturated fatty acids; at the same time, mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids decreased. The results agree with those obtained in rats fed for 30 and 60 days with vitamin A-free diet. This seems to support the interpretation that vitamin A modifies, to some extent, the metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids.