ABNORMAL FATTY ACIDS IN RAT GLIAL CELLS CULTURED IN VITAMIN B12-DEFICIENT MEDIUM

Rat glial cells cultured in vitamin B¹²-deficient medium contained increased amounts of unbranched fatty acids with 15 and 17 carbon atoms, as well as increased levels of propionate. Addition of vitamin B¹² to the medium caused the levels of the 15-and 17-carbon fatty acids to return to normal. These changes in the fatty acid composition of nerve cells of rats in vitamin B¹² deficiency may be related to the neural lesions in vitamin B¹² deficiency in human beings.