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.
