Effects of chronic ethanol exposure on fatty acids of rat brain glycerophospholipids

The lipid composition was analysed in forebrain subcellular fractions from rats treated with ethanol for three weeks and control rats. Increased proportions of oleic acid and a decrease in palmitic acid were consistently found in total glycerophospholipid fractions after ethanol exposure. The fatty acid compositions of individual phospholipids were also significantly changed. The proportion of docosahexaenoic acid was decreased in brain phosphatidylserine. In contrast to the decrease in the degree of unsaturation in phosphatidylserine, there was an opposite change in phosphatidylcholine wherein the degree of unsaturation was increased. No changes were produced in total cholesterol or phospholipid concentrations. These results point to a high degree of complexity of the mechanisms behind ethanol-induced changes in membrane lipid composition. The decrease in unsaturation in phosphatidylserine is probably an adaptive effect in order to counteract the fluidizing effect of ethanol. There are two possible explanations for the increase in unsaturation in brain phosphatidylcholine. The change may be due to adaptation to other biophysical effects, e.g., expansion of the membrane surface or be secondary to a change in liver lipid metabolism.