The O-alkyl ether linkage in glycerolipids was originally discovered as a significant component of fish oils. As with the n-3 fatty acids, fish from the ocean are thought to be highly enriched in ether lipids.
The aim of this proposal is to develop a better understanding of the nutritional significance and possible health-related benefits of ether-linked lipids in the diet. In one portion of the planned work, the investigators propose to conduct a systematic quantitative analysis of the amount, type, and acyl composition of ether-linked glycerolipids in fish, meat, and poultry products consumed in the American diet.
The second aim of this investigation is to evaluate the influence of dietary supplements of ether lipids and its fatty alcohol precursor on: a) the levels of ether lipids and their n-3/n-6 acyl composition in rat tissues, b) various biological parameters (growth, blood pressure, and cellular responses of neutrophils and alveolar macrophages to proinflammatory agents), and c) de novo enzyme activities for the synthesis of tissue ether lipids involved as cellular membrane components or as bioactive mediators. The experiments described in this application would be the first comprehensive dietary study ever conducted with the glyceryl ethers. Such information is important to obtain in view of the important role that potent alkyl type glycerolipids such as PAF (e.g., 10 -11M PAF can aggregate platelets), alkylglycerols, alkylacetylglycerols, and alkylacylglycerols play as modifiers of signal transduction events and as factors that can affect cellular differentiation and the activation of macrophages.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DK042804-02
Application #
3243961
Study Section
Nutrition Study Section (NTN)
Project Start
1991-05-01
Project End
1994-04-30
Budget Start
1992-05-01
Budget End
1993-04-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1992
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Oak Ridge Associated Universities
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Oak Ridge
State
TN
Country
United States
Zip Code
37831
Snyder, F (1995) Platelet-activating factor and its analogs: metabolic pathways and related intracellular processes. Biochim Biophys Acta 1254:231-49
Lee, T C; Fitzgerald, V; Chatterjee, R et al. (1994) Differentiation induced increase of platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase in HL-60 cells. J Lipid Mediat Cell Signal 9:267-83
Blank, M L; Smith, Z L; Cress, E A et al. (1994) Molecular species of ethanolamine plasmalogens and transacylase activity in rat tissues are altered by fish oil diets. Biochim Biophys Acta 1214:295-302
Snyder, F (1994) Metabolic processing of PAF. Clin Rev Allergy 12:309-27
Blank, M L; Smith, Z L; Snyder, F (1993) Arachidonate-containing triacylglycerols: biosynthesis and a lipolytic mechanism for the release and transfer of arachidonate to phospholipids in HL-60 cells. Biochim Biophys Acta 1170:275-82
Snyder, F; Lee, T C; Blank, M L (1992) The role of transacylases in the metabolism of arachidonate and platelet activating factor. Prog Lipid Res 31:65-86
Blank, M L; Cress, E A; Smith, Z L et al. (1992) Meats and fish consumed in the American diet contain substantial amounts of ether-linked phospholipids. J Nutr 122:1656-61
Blank, M L; Cress, E A; Smith, Z L et al. (1991) Dietary supplementation with ether-linked lipids and tissue lipid composition. Lipids 26:166-9