Changes in the fatty acyl content of polymorphonuclear leukocytes by hypothyroidism

CORIA MJ; MARRA CA; GIMENEZ MS

Congreso; XXVIII Reunión Científica Anual de la Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo; 2010

The thyroid hormones are important regulators of lipid metabolism. Our goal was to determine if hypothyroidism in female Wistar rats (200 g) obtained by 0.1g/l propyl-2-thiouracil in drinking water for a month, affects the relative content of fatty acids of complex lipids from polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocytes. Total lipids from PMN were extracted with chloroform-methanol (2:1) by Folch method and redissolved in n-hexane. The PMN fatty acid composition of complex lipids from was determined by capillary gas-liquid chromatography (c-GLC) The fatty-acyl methyl esthers (FAMEs) were prepared using a capillary column. Before injection into the c-GLC system, the FAMEs were purified by HPTLC chromatography and patterns of the FAMEs were identified by comparison of their relative retention times with standards running in parallel. Relative mass distribution of each analysis was calculated electronically by quantification of the peak areas.  We observed a decreased amount of palmitic, stearic and arachidonic acids, and an increased content of miristic and linoleic acid. The unsaturation index increased in the HT group compared with controls. The hypothyroidism causes important changes in the relative content of fatty acids in complex lipids of PMN. These lipid alterations should alter the physiology of these cells and therefore modify the host defense mechanism.