Changes in composition and enzyme activities of mitochondrial and post-mitochondrial fractions of tissues of rats given mustard oil diet with carnitine and/or fish oil.

The effects of short-term feeding of a 20% mustard oil (containing 47% erucic acid) diet with 0.1% carnitine and/or fish oil on the activity of enzymes of lipid metabolism in mitochondrial and post-mitochondrial fractions of heart, liver, and skeletal muscles of rats were determined to study the reversal of erucic acid-induced lipidosis. Histopathological changes were also studied. The inclusion of fish oil or fish oil plus carnitine in a mustard oil diet, especially the latter, eliminated the histopathologically detectable lipidosis in heart and skeletal muscles. The reason for this appears to be the increased activity of lipase and phospholipase in tissue homogenates and of cholesterol ester hydrolase in the post-mitochondrial fraction; and also an increase in mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase which may increase the utilization of the liberated fatty acids. The results suggest that the erucic acid-induced lipidosis is prevented or eliminated by increased lipolysis and oxidation of fatty acids when such a diet is supplemented with carnitine and/or fish oil.