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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1985 Mar;82(6):1815–1818. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.6.1815

Abnormal polyunsaturated fatty acid patterns of serum lipids in alcoholism and cirrhosis: arachidonic acid deficiency in cirrhosis.

S B Johnson, E Gordon, C McClain, G Low, R T Holman
PMCID: PMC397363  PMID: 3920655

Abstract

Patterns of polyunsaturated fatty acids of serum phospholipids were measured for groups of alcoholics without cirrhosis, alcoholics with cirrhosis, cirrhotics without alcoholism, and a control population. Alcoholics without cirrhosis showed increased polyunsaturated fatty acids derived from linoleic and linolenic acids, but in cirrhotics these products were decreased. Alcoholism accentuated the abnormal polyunsaturated fatty acid pattern of cirrhosis. In alcohol abuse without cirrhosis, the level of 20:3 omega 9 (20 acyl carbon atoms:3 double bonds, omega, 9 carbon atoms beyond last double bond) was significantly increased, despite adequate levels of linoleic and arachidonic acids. Liver involvement appears necessary for development of deficiencies of polyunsaturated fatty acids in serum phospholipids, of which arachidonic acid deficiency is of the largest magnitude.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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