The fate of exogenous 14C-arachidonic
acid (14C-AA) was investigated in the isolated lungs of rats fed
selenium and
vitamin E deficient diet or diets supplemented with
selenium and/or
vitamin E. When 80 nmol of 14C-AA was infused into the pulmonary circulation most of the infused 14C-AA was found in different
phospholipid and neutral
lipid fractions of the perfused lungs. Only less than ten percent of the infused radioactivity was recovered in the perfusion effluent. The amount of arachidonate metabolites in the perfusion effluent was negligible, and most of the radioactivity in the perfusion effluent consisted of unmetabolized arachidonate.
Selenium deficiency had no significant effect on the distribution of 14C-AA in different lung
lipid fractions. However, in the lungs of
vitamin E deficient rats the amount of radioactivity was slightly increased in the neutral
lipid fraction, which was due to the increased amount of 14C-AA in the
diacylglycerols. The amount of radioactivity was increased especially in the 1,3-diacylglycerols. The amount of radioactivity was increased especially in the 1,3-diacylglycerols. The amount of 14C-AA in the
triacylglycerols and in different
phospholipids was not significantly changed. The present study might indicate that
selenium deficiency has no significant effect on the fate of exogenous
arachidonic acid in isolated rat lungs, and that
vitamin E deficiency would slightly increase the amount of
arachidonic acid in the
diacylglycerols.