Chick embryonic development following exposure to ethanol, gamma-linolenic and linolenic acids.

Whether the embryopathic effects of ethanol are due to a deficiency of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) or its metabolites was investigated by treating chick embryo with ethanol together with efamol, a rich and natural source of GLA. In contrast to findings in the rat, efamol did not protect the chick embryo from the deleterious action of ethanol. This might be due to species differences and the inability of the early chick embryo to metabolize the precursor fatty acids.