Changes in neutral lipids in brain synaptosomes of rats after chronic administration of ethanol

Rats were chronically treated with ethanol in a liquid milk diet for 21 days so that the animals consumed 10 +/- 1 g/kg ethanol daily. Following decapitation, the cortex and hippocampus were removed and a synaptosomal fraction prepared from the cortex. After chronic administration of ethanol, a significant decrease in the cholesterol esters:cholesterol ratio was found in the cortical synaptosomes and a decrease was found in the linoleate content of the cholesterol esters fraction. The composition of the pool of free fatty acids remained unchanged. These results are in agreement with those previously reported which show that following its chronic administration, ethanol decreases polyunsaturated fatty acid composition of phospholipids in the synaptosomal fraction and increases the saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids in cholesterol esters.