Membrane fatty acids, lipid peroxidation and adenylate cyclase activity in cultured neural cells.

Lipid peroxidation and basal adenylate cyclase activity have been examined in neuroblastoma cultured with a variety of exogenous fatty acids. Formation of cyclic AMP depended upon fatty acid type, with supplementation affecting activities in the order: linoleate greater than cis-vaccenate = linolenate greater than control (132.7, 72.6, 71.9 and 36.0 pmol cAMP formed/mg protein, respectively). Lipid peroxidation, measured by formation of malondialdehyde (MDA), also varied with fatty acid; however, there was little correlation between MDA production and basal cyclase activity. Inclusion of alpha-tocopherol in culture-medium blocked MDA formation without affecting cAMP accumulation. Fe2+-dependent induction of peroxidation was accompanied by a time-dependent inhibition of cyclase activity.