Effect of chronic ethanol consumption on fatty acid profile of heart tissue in rats.

The effect of chronic ethanol ingestion on fatty acid composition and lipid content of heart tissue in rats, and whether this effect depends on age, was studied. Rats were maintained on a 30% ethanol solution in drinking water for 3 and 5 months. Control animals were given water. Phospholipid concentration was unchanged in the ethanol-fed groups, compared with control groups, whereas total cholesterol content was increased at 5 months of treatment. An increase in stearic acid, palmitoleic acid, and 22:5n6 were observed at 3 months of ethanol ingestion. When ethanol was administered for 5 months, polyunsaturated fatty acids series n3 were decreased with respect to control. The effect of age on the profile of fatty acids of heart showed an increase of monounsaturated fatty acids and a decrease of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in both control and ethanol-fed rats. The effect of ethanol ingestion on fatty acid composition of heart tissue is not very pronounced, but the small changes observed could contribute to the development of functional and electrophysiological features of alcoholic heart disease.