Effects of dietary corn oil and salmon oil on the oxidation of fatty acids and prostaglandin E2 in rat gastric mucosa.

The investigations previously carried out by Grataroli and colleagues (1) to elucidate the relationships between dietary fatty acids, lipid composition, prostaglandin E2 production and phospholipase A2 activity in the rat gastric mucosa are, here, extended. In the present investigations, fatty acid and prostaglandin E2 catabolizing enzymes were assayed in gastric mucosa from rats fed either a low fat diet (corn oil: 4.4% w/w) (referred as control group), a corn oil-enriched diet (17%) or a salmon oil-enriched diet (12.5%) supplemented with corn oil (4.5%) (referred as groups of treated animals) for eight weeks. Peroxisomal fatty acyl-CoA beta-oxidation was induced in the treated animals whereas the activities of catalase and mitochondrial tyramine oxidase were increased and normal, respectively. Mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenations occurred at higher rates and carnitine acyltransferase activities were enhanced. In addition, the induction of peroxisomal but not mitochondrial prostaglandoyl-E2-CoA beta-oxidation could be demonstrated. Induction of peroxisomal oxidation of fatty acids and prostaglandins is suggested to contribute to the decrease of prostaglandin E2 production in the treated animals, especially those receiving the salmon oil diet, that the above mentioned authors originally reported.