Effects of essential fatty acid deficiency on renal papillary lipid methylation

The relationship between lipid methylation and prostaglandin release was examined in rat renal papillae. Essential fatty acid deficiency (EFAD) was produced to deplete tissues of arachidonate precursors. The in vitro release of prostaglandin E was determined after exposure of the papillae to hypertonic sodium chloride. The EFAD animals were observed to have significantly less renal papillary lipid methylation than rats fed control diets (50%; P less than 0.05). However, stimulation of prostaglandin production in vitro was not accompanied by any detectable changes in total lipid methylation in tissues from either normal or EFAD rats.