Effects of low-iron status and deficiency of essential fatty acids on some biochemical constituents of rat brain.

The effects of iron and essential fatty acids (EFA) on the development of the brain were studied in young rats. Male weanling rats were maintained on diets deficient in EFA, low in iron (9 ppm) or deficient in both EFA and iron. The low-iron status aggravated signs of EFA deficiency indicating decreases in both growth and brain weight. While the protein content of the brain was considerably reduced, the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity increased in all dietary regimes. The lipids and fatty acid components of the brain were affected both qualitatively and quantitatively by the diets. Myelin lipids and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6) were reduced by the iron deficient diets and the effect was found to be greater in the deficiency of both EFA and iron. It appears that dietary iron has a significant role to play in the biosynthesis of prostaglandins and in the proper configurational development and functioning of the brain.