Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “STEARIC ACID”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 703 records · Page 39Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon coated onto Fe(2)O(3) particles: assessment of cellular membrane damage and antioxidant system disruption in human epithelial lung cells (L132) in culture.

The aim of this study was to investigate the oxidative effects of Fe(2)O(3), benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) and pyrene, alone or in association (B(a)P or pyrene coated onto Fe(2)O(3) particles), in normal human embryonic lung epithelial cells (L132) in culture. We evaluated: (i) membrane integrity, through fatty acid release (stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic and linolenic acids, homolinolenic acid, arachidonic acid) and malondialdehyde (MDA) production; and (ii) antioxidant status, through enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defenses (superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione status, beta-carotene). Fe(2)O(3) did not induce any change in L132 cells. In pyrene-treated cells, SOD induction (P<0. 05), glutathione oxidation (P<0.05) and beta-carotene consumption (P<0.001) may counteract free radicals (FR)-induced damage. However, in B(a)P-incubated cells, SOD inactivation (P<0.05), GR increases (P<0.05), glutathione oxidation (P<0.05) and beta-carotene decreases (P<0.001) showed high disruption of antioxidants, thereby allowing FR-induced damage (i.e. arachidonic acid release, P<0.01; MDA production, P<0.01). Our main finding was that both associations caused higher FR-induced damage (i.e. MDA production, P<0.001; SOD inactivation, P<0.01) than either chemical alone. Several mechanisms could account for this result: enhanced uptake of Fe(2)O(3) particles and/or greater availability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We hypothesized also that Fe(2)O(3) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are more deleterious by virtue of their associations being able to produce higher oxidative effects than either chemical alone.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed1999

Antioxidant and eicosanoid enzyme inhibition properties of pomegranate seed oil and fermented juice flavonoids.

The antioxidant and eicosanoid enzyme inhibition properties of pomegranate (Punica granatum) fermented juice and seed oil flavonoids were studied. The pomegranate fermented juice (pfj) and cold pressed seed oil (pcpso) showed strong antioxidant activity close to that of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and green tea (Thea sinensis), and significantly greater than that of red wine (Vitis vitifera). Flavonoids extracted from pcpso showed 31-44% inhibition of sheep cyclooxygenase and 69-81% inhibition of soybean lipoxygenase. Flavonoids extracted from pfj showed 21-30% inhibition of soybean lipoxygenase though no significant inhibition of sheep cyclooxygenase. The pcpso was analyzed for its polyphenol content and fatty acid composition. Total polyphenols in pcpso showed a concentration by weight of approximately 0.015%. Pcpso fatty acid composition showed punicic acid (65.3%) along with palmitic acid (4.8%), stearic acid (2.3%), oleic acid (6.3%), linoleic acid (6.6%) and three unidentified peaks from which two (14.2%) are probably isomers of punicic acid (El-Shaarawy, M.I., Nahpetian, A., 1983). Studies on pomegranate seed oil. Fette Seifen Anstrichmittel 83(3), 123-126).

Animals↗
PubMed2001

The growth inhibitory effect of conjugated linoleic acid on a human hepatoma cell line, HepG2, is induced by a change in fatty acid metabolism, but not the facilitation of lipid peroxidation in the cells.

We investigated the growth inhibitory effect of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on HepG2 (human hepatoma cell line), exploring whether the inhibitory action occurs via lipid peroxidation in the cells. When the cells were incubated up to 72 h with 5-40 microM of CLA (a mixture of 9c,11t-18:2 and 10t,12c-18:2), cell proliferation was clearly inhibited in a dose and time dependent manner but such an inhibition was not confirmed with linoleic acid (LA). In order to evaluate the possible contribution of lipid peroxidation exerted by CLA to cell growth inhibition, alpha-tocopherol (5-20 microM) and BHT (1-10 microM) as potent antioxidants were added to the medium with CLA (20 microM), which did not restore cell growth at all. Furthermore, after 72 h incubation, the membranous phospholipid hydroperoxide formation in the CLA-supplemented cells was suppressed respectively to 25% and 50% of that in LA-supplemented cells and control cells. No difference was observed by a conventional lipid peroxide assay, the TBA test, between CLA-supplemented cells and LA-supplemented cells. Although the cellular lipid peroxidation was not stimulated, lipid contents (triacylglycerol, total cholesterol and free cholesterol) and fatty acid contents (palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid and stearic acid) markedly increased in CLA-supplemented cells compared with LA-supplemented and control cells. Moreover, supplementation with 20 microM LA and 20 microM arachidonic acid profoundly interfered with the inhibitory effect of CLA in HepG2. These results suggest that the growth inhibitory effect of CLA on HepG2 is due to changes in fatty acid metabolism but not to lipid peroxidation.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed2000

Interactive effects of dietary cholesterol and different saturated fatty acids on lipoprotein metabolism in the hamster.

The present study examines the interactive effects of three fatty acids: myristic, palmitic and stearic acids, with dietary cholesterol, on lipoprotein metabolism in the hamster. Each saturated fatty acid was fed at a concentration of 100 g pure synthetic triacylglycerol/kg in the presence of 100 g triolein/kg and was fed in the presence of 0.05, 1.2 or 2.4 g dietary cholesterol/kg. Dietary cholesterol increased the concentration of cholesterol in each of the major plasma lipoprotein fractions. The largest effects on VLDL and LDL were seen in the presence of tripalmitin where the increase between the lowest and highest dietary cholesterol groups were 129% and 38% respectively. In contrast, HDL showed the greatest change in the tristearin group when the equivalent increase was 59%. No interactive effects of dietary cholesterol and fat were seen on hepatic mRNA concentrations for the LDL receptor, hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase or the microsomal triacylglycerol transfer protein. As the amount of cholesterol in the diet increased, large differences were seen in the storage of hepatic cholesterol ester. At the highest dietary cholesterol intake the amount of hepatic cholesterol ester was 1.7-fold higher in the animals fed trimyristin compared with those fed tripalmitin. These results suggest that, as the amount of cholesterol in the diet is increased, palmitic acid becomes more hypercholesterolaemic. This is associated with a reduced ability to store cholesterol ester in the liver.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1988

Free fatty acid enhancement of cation-induced fusion of liposomes: synergism with synexin and other promoters of vesicle aggregation.

The effect of free fatty acids on the cation-induced fusion of large unilamellar vesicles (liposomes) was investigated by using fluorescent assays which monitor the mixing of aqueous contents of liposomes. Overall fusion was modeled as a two-step process involving aggregation of vesicles followed by actual fusion. Different experimental conditions were used which favored either aggregation or fusion as the rate-limiting step in the overall process. When phosphatidylserine liposomes were induced to fuse by 4 mM Ca2+ plus 5 mM Mg2+, preincubation with arachidonic acid showed a dramatically increased overall rate of fusion compared to the same liposomes not treated with fatty acid. When fusion was induced by 3 mM Ca2+, arachidonic acid had little effect. These results were interpreted in terms of the action of arachidonic acid only at the fusion step per se and not the aggregation step. Therefore, the enhancement of the overall fusion rate would be observed solely under conditions where the actual fusion of liposomes was rate limiting (Ca/Mg) rather than the aggregation of liposomes (Ca alone). When other liposome systems were tested, the effect of arachidonic acid was observed only under fusion rate-limiting conditions. Arachidonic acid was found to act synergistically with promoters of liposomal aggregation, such as Mg2+, spermine, and synexin, to enhance the overall rate of liposome fusion, as would be expected from action at separate kinetic steps. The dependence of the fusion rates on arachidonic acid concentration demonstrated an apparently cooperative effect. The structure of the fatty acid is of critical importance in determining its effects, as shown by the fact that 16-doxylstearic acid always increased the rate of fusion while 5-doxylstearic acid always decreased the rate of fusion under all conditions tested. A number of different fatty acids, including oleic acid, elaidic acid, 16-doxylstearic acid, myristic acid, and stearic acid, were effective at increasing the fusion rate to varying extents. In general, unsaturated fatty acids were more effective than saturated ones, either due to partitioning into the membrane or because of structural requirements for promotion of fusion.

Annexin A7↗
PubMed1989

An amphitropic cAMP-binding protein in yeast mitochondria. 2. Phospholipid nature of the membrane anchor.

We describe the first example of a mitochondrial protein with a covalently attached phosphatidylinositol moiety acting as a membrane anchor. The protein can be metabolically labeled with both stearic acid and inositol. The stearic acid label is removed by phospholipase D whereupon the protein with the retained inositol label is released from the membrane. This protein is a cAMP receptor of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and tightly associated with the inner mitochondrial membrane. However, it is converted into a soluble form during incubation of isolated mitochondria with Ca2+ and phospholipid (or lipid derivatives). This transition requires the action of a proteinaceous, N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive component of the intermembrane space and is accompanied by a decrease in the lipophilicity of the cAMP receptor. We propose that the component of the intermembrane space triggers the amphitropic behavior of the mitochondrial lipid-modified cAMP-binding protein through a phospholipase activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Membrane-anchoring domain of rat liver 5'-nucleotidase: identification of the COOH-terminal serine-523 covalently attached with a glycolipid.

The involvement of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) in membrane anchoring of 5'-nucleotidase was investigated by chemical analyses. 5'-Nucleotidase purified from rat liver microsomes was subjected to BrCN cleavage, hexane extraction, and high-performance liquid chromatography, resulting in the purification of a single fragment with Mr 2300. Chemical analyses revealed that the purified fragment contains the tetradecapeptide Lys-Val-Ile-Tyr-Pro-Ala-Val-Glu-Gly-Arg-Ile-Lys-Phe-Ser and characteristic components of GPI including ethanolamine, glucosamine, mannose, inositol, palmitic acid, and stearic acid. In addition, it was confirmed that digestion of 5'-nucleotidase with lysyl endopeptidase yielded a fragment containing the dipeptide Phe-Ser and the same GPI components as above. The sequences of the tetradeca- and dipeptides thus determined are identified at positions 510-523 and 522-523, respectively, in the primary structure deduced from the cDNA sequence, which predicts a further extension to position 548, containing a hydrophobic amino acid sequence [Misumi, Y., Ogata, S., Hirose, S., & Ikehara, Y. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 2178-2183]. Taken together, these results indicate that the mature 5'-nucleotidase molecule lacks the predicted COOH-terminal peptide extension and is attached at serine-523 with GPI, which functions as the membrane anchor of 5'-nucleotidase.

5'-Nucleotidase↗
PubMed1982

Purification and characterization of an N-acylphosphatidylserine from Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides.

A new phospholipid that can account for up to 40% of the total cellular phospholipid of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides has been identified. Purification of the phospholipid was accomplished by column chromatography on silicic acid and diethylaminoethylcellulose followed by preparative thin-layer chromatography. A combination of spectroscopic and chemical techniques were used to identify the unknown phospholipid as an N-acylphosphatidylserine. Infrared spectroscopy revealed the presence of both ester and amide bonds in the phospholipid. Interpretation of the proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of the new phospholipid indicated the presence of three acyl chains per phospholipid and in all other respects was compatible with the proposed structure of the molecule. Chemical studies confirmed the presence of a glycerylphosphorylserine moiety in the molecule and yielded three fatty acyl chains per hydrolyzed phospholipid. The fatty acid composition of the phospholipid was approximately 85% vaccenic acid, 9% stearic acid, 5% palmitic acid, and 1% palmitoleic acid, which is essentially identical with the fatty acid composition of whole cell phospholipid preparations from R. sphaeroides. Chemical synthesis of an N-acylphosphatidylserine from beef brain phosphatidylserine and palmitic anhydride gave a product with characteristics similar to those of the naturally occurring material isolated from R. sphaeroides.

Chromatography, Thin Layer↗
PubMed2003

Qualitative investigation on hydrothermal treatment of Hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) bark for production of useful chemicals.

Hydrothermal treatment of an outer layer of a bark of Hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) tree was investigated qualitatively for the possibility of utilizing residual forest biomass to produce valuable chemicals. Experiments were carried out in a semibatch reactor apparatus that allows the study of the effect of reaction temperatures in a single run. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses show the presence of useful chemicals such as furfural, aromatic compounds (1,3-di-tert-butyl benzene and 2,4-di-tert-butyl phenol), and fatty acids (myristic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid) in the products.

Benzene Derivatives↗
PubMed1999

Effects of roasting on pyrazine contents and oxidative stability of red pepper seed oil prior to its extraction.

Red pepper seeds were roasted with constant stirring for 6, 9, 10, and 12 min at 210 degrees C, and oils were extracted from the roasted red pepper seeds using an expeller. The iodine values and fatty acid compositions of red pepper seed oils did not change with roasting time. The fatty acid composition of the oil obtained from the red pepper seeds roasted for 6 min was 0.24% myristic acid, 13. 42% palmitic acid, 0.33% palmitoleic acid, 2.07% stearic acid, 10. 18% oleic acid, 73.89% linoleic acid, and 0.37% linolenic acid, showing a fatty acid composition similar to that of high-linoleate safflower oil. Thirteen alkylpyrazines were identified in the roasted red pepper seed oils: 2-methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine, 2-ethylpyrazine, 2-ethyl-6-methylpyrazine, 2-ethyl-5-methylpyrazine, trimethylpyrazine, 2,6-diethylpyrazine, 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine, tetramethylpyrazine, 2, 3-diethyl-5-methylpyrazine, 2-isobutyl-3-methylpyrazine, and 3, 5-diethyl 2-methylpyrazine. The pyrazine content increased markedly as the roasting time increased, showing 2.63, 5.01, 8.48, and 13.10 mg of total pyrazine/100 g of oils from the red pepper seeds roasted for 6, 8, 10, and 12 min, respectively, at 210 degrees C. 2, 5-Dimethylpyrazine in the roasted red pepper seed oil seemed to be the component most responsible for the pleasant nutty aroma of the oils. The oxidative stabilities of oils increased greatly as the roasting time increased.

Capsicum↗
PubMed2002

Synthesis of mayolene-16 and mayolene-18: larval defensive lipids from the European cabbage butterfly.

A tandem Wittig approach has been employed for the synthesis of both (11S,9Z,12Z,15Z)- and (11R,9Z,12Z,15Z)-hydroxyoctadeca-9,12,15-trienoic acid (11-hydroxylinolenic acid, 11-HLA) from (R)-glyceraldehyde acetonide. From (11R)-HLA we have prepared the corresponding palmitic acid and stearic acid esters, mayolene-16 (1) and mayolene-18 (2), insect defensive compounds recently identified from Pieris rapae larvae. In addition, we describe the synthesis of three macrocyclic oligomers (24-26) derived from (11R)-HLA.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Potential role of antioxidants during ethanol-induced changes in the fatty acid composition and arachidonic acid metabolites in male Wistar rats.

Biochemical assessment of liver damage during ethanol-induced stress was done by measuring the activities of serum enzymes, viz., aspartate transaminase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which were significantly elevated in rats fed ethanol. Ethanol administration for a period of 60 days modifies the fatty acid composition, and the analysis of fatty acids showed that there was a significant increase in the concentrations of palmitic acid (16:0), stearic acid (18:0), and oleic acid (18:1) in liver, kidney, and brain, whereas the concentrations of palmitoleic (16:1) and arachidonic acid (20:4) were significantly decreased. The breakdown products of arachidonic acids (20:4), prostaglandins, were elevated. The antioxidants curcumin and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) decreased the activities of serum AST and ALP. Curcumin and NAC decreased the concentrations of fatty acids, viz., palmitic, stearic, and oleic acid, whereas arachidonic acid and palmitoleic acid were elevated. The prostaglandin concentrations were also decreased after curcumin and N-acetylcysteine treatment. Thus the present investigation shows that curcumin and N-acetylcysteine prevent the fatty acid changes produced by ethanol and also reduce the inflammatory response of ethanol by reducing the level of prostaglandins.

Acetylcysteine↗
PubMed1966

Transport and metabolism of fatty acids by isolated rumen epithelium.

1. The metabolism of even-numbered saturated (acetic acid to stearic acid) and unsaturated (oleic acid and linolenic acid) fatty acids by diaphragms of isolated rumen epithelium has been investigated. 2. When fatty acids are presented to the papillae surface, ketone bodies are released from the opposite (muscle) side of the tissue. 3. When the concentration of octanoate or decanoate is increased to a critical value, which varies inversely with the chain length of the fatty acid, the respiration of the tissue is inhibited and ketone body synthesis is diminished. Under these conditions unmetabolized fatty acid crosses the tissue down a concentration gradient. 4. The inhibitions by octanoate and decanoate are more marked when the fatty acid is presented to both surfaces of the rumen epithelium. 5. During the oxidation of octanoate and decanoate at non-inhibitory concentrations, small quantities of shorter chain fatty acids, including acetate, are produced.

Acetates↗
PubMed1966

Effect of sex and gonadal hormones on rat plasma lipids during the development of an essential fatty acid deficiency.

1. Male, female and castrated rats treated with oestradiol (30mug./week) or testosterone (2mg./week) were given an essential fatty acid-deficient diet containing 10% of hydrogenated coconut oil for 9 weeks. The concentrations and fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids, cholesteryl esters and triglycerides were determined. 2. Between the second and third weeks of the deficiency, concentrations of plasma cholesteryl esters, phospholipids and triglycerides decreased, then remained relatively constant. There were no significant differences between males and females, but oestradiol caused a significant rise in plasma phospholipids and triglycerides as compared with testosterone-treated animals. 3. During the first 2 weeks of the deficiency, linoleic acid in the plasma lipids of all groups decreased to low concentrations and changed very little thereafter. 4. Female rats maintained higher percentages and concentrations of arachidonic acid and stearic acid in plasma phospholipids and arachidonic acid in cholesteryl esters than did males. Males had higher proportions of eicosatrienoic acid and oleic acid. There was no sex difference in the fatty acid composition of plasma triglycerides. 5. Oestradiol-treated rats had concentrations of cholesteryl and phospholipid arachidonate comparable with those of female rats and higher than the testosterone-treated group. Eicosatrienoic acid in the oestradiol-treated rats was high and resembled that of the male rats, apparently because of the higher concentration of plasma phospho lipids in this group. 6. Supplementation of the essential fatty acid-deficient rats with linoleate restored plasma cholesteryl and phospholipid linoleate and arachidonate nearly to normal concentrations in a single day. The increase in arachidonic acid in these fractions was accompanied by a similar quantitative decrease in eicosatrienoic acid. 7. These sex differences appear to be related to the smaller size of the female rat and to a more direct influence of oestradiol on the formation or maintenance of phospholipids rich in arachidonic acid.

Animals↗
PubMed1969

Triglyceride synthesis by the small-intestinal epithelium of the pig, sheep and chicken.

1. A comparative study was made of triglyceride synthesis by the intestinal epithelium of pigs, sheep and chickens. In pig and chicken tissue both the glycerol 3-phosphate and the monoglyceride pathway of triglyceride synthesis were operative, but the former pathway predominated in sheep tissue. 2. The fatty acid specificity of the glycerol 3-phosphate pathway was studied in pig and sheep total-homogenate preparations. Maximum incorporation was obtained with myristic acid and palmitic acid under optimum conditions for each fatty acid. Lauric acid, myristic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid were inhibitory at concentrations above their optimum, but octanoic acid, decanoic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid did not show this effect. 3. Subcellular fractionation located the glycerol 3-phosphate and monoglyceride pathways of triglyceride synthesis in the microsomes in all instances. Phosphatidate phosphohydrolase was associated with both the microsomes and the particle-free supernatant. 4. Glycerol 1-mono-oleate was incorporated into triglycerides to a greater extent than glycerol 1-mono-palmitate or glycerol 1-monostearate by microsomal preparations from pig and chicken. 5. A lipase specific for monoglycerides was detected in the particle-free supernatant of all the species examined.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

A transient increase in diacylglycerols is associated with the action of vasopressin on hepatocytes.

Vasopressin induced a transient increase of 50% in the total concentration of diacylglycerols (determined by g.l.c.) in isolated hepatocytes. The increase was maximal at 0.25 min, and the concentration of diacylglycerols in cells treated with vasopressin had returned to the basal value by 4 min. No change in the concentration of diacylglycerols was observed after the treatment of cells with glucagon. The dependency of this effect on the concentration of vasopressin was similar to that of the effect of the hormone on 45Ca2+ efflux measured at 0.1 mM extracellular Ca2+. Vasopressin increased the proportion of arachidonic acid and stearic acid and decreased the proportion of oleic acid present in the diacylglycerols. In hepatocytes prelabelled with [14C]arachidonic acid, vasopressin increased the amount of [14C]diacylglycerol. The effects of vasopressin on the total concentration of diacylglycerols and [14C]diacylglycerol were mimicked by an exogenous phospholipid phosphodiesterase (phospholipase C) from Clostridium perfringens. The results are consistent with the conclusion that the transient increase in diacylglycerols induced by vasopressin is caused by the rapid hydrolysis of both the phosphoinositides and one or more other phospholipids.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Rates and efficiencies of reactions of ruminal biohydrogenation of linoleic acid according to pH and polyunsaturated fatty acids concentrations.

Data from a previous study about the effects of pH and of linolenic acid (C18:3n-3) and linoleic acid (C18:2n-6) concentrations on C18:2n-6 biohydrogenation in ruminal cultures were used to calculate the rates and efficiencies of the three reactions of C18:2n-6 biohydrogenation (isomerisation of C18:2n-6 to CLA; reduction of CLA to trans-octadecenoic acids; reduction of trans-octadecenoic acids to stearic acid). First, low pH was confirmed to inhibit isomerisation and was shown to inhibit the second reduction, leading to an accumulation of vaccenic acid. This later effect had only been observed in some in vivo studies using high concentrate diets, because in in vitro experiments, the very low pH frequently used depresses isomerisation which consequently generates very low amount of substrates for reductions whose variations become difficult to ascertain. Second, C18:2n-6 at high concentration was confirmed to saturate its own isomerisation and the increase of CLA production due to high initial C18:2n-6 was shown to inhibit the two subsequent reductions. Third, C18:3n-3 at high concentrations was confirmed to inhibit C18:2n-6 isomerisation. Moreover, the second reduction was shown to be saturated, probably by all trans-octadecenoic acids intermediates of C18:2n-6 and C18:3n-3 biohydrogenation, leading to an accumulation of trans-octadecenoic acids, especially vaccenic acid. This fatty acid is partly desaturated into CLA in the mammary gland, which explains the synergy between C18:2n-6 and C18:3n-3 for milk CLA noticed by others in vivo. This approach helped explain the actions of pH and of C18:2n-6 and C18:3n-3 concentrations on C18:2n-6 biohydrogenation and allows some explanations about differences noticed between studies.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

The fatty acid composition of the serum phospholipids of children with sickle cell disease in Nigeria.

The purpose of this study was to determine the fatty acid composition of the serum phospholipids of children with sickle cell disease (SCD) in Nigeria and to compare the relative fluidity of the acyl chains of the serum phospholipids of controls versus the subjects with SCD. It is widely accepted that the fatty acid composition of an individual's serum phospholipids reflects that of their tissue phospholipids. An alteration in the fatty acid composition of membrane phospholipids could affect critical membrane-dependent enzymes and processes (e.g., ion and solute transport, hormone-receptor interactions, signal transduction pathways). We found a significant reduction in the content of polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids in the phospholipids of subjects with SCD which could result in a reduction of the fluidity of their tissue membranes. Specifically, there was a 40-50% reduction in the proportion of total n-3 fatty acids in subjects with SCD. On the basis of calculated melting points and double bond indices of the acyl chains of the serum phospholipids, the phospholipids of the children with SCD are less fluid relative to those of their healthy counterparts. In addition, we determined that linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, and stearic acid were the major determinants of the fluidity of the acyl chains of the serum phospholipids of the healthy controls and children with SCD.

Adolescent↗