Effect of dietary alpha-linolenate/linoleate balance on crescent type-anti-glomerular basement membrane nephritis in rats.

Rats were fed diets with three different ratios of alpha-linolenate (18:3 n-3) and linoleate (18:2 n-6), and then crescentic-type anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) nephritis was induced. The urinary protein levels and the plasma urea nitrogen levels were significantly higher, and histological abnormalities of glomeruli were seen more frequently in the high-alpha-linolenate group than in the high-linoleate group. The differences in dietary alpha-linolenate/linoleate balances were reflected in the proportions of arachidonate and eicosapentaenoate in glomerular phospholipids. Our results indicate that dietary enrichment with alpha-linolenate causes unfavorable effects in this anti-GBM nephritis model.