Fatty Acid Composition of Plasma and Kidney in Rats with Anti-Thy1.1 Nephritis

Abstract

Background: n-3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are reported to ameliorate atherosclerotic and inflammatory diseases because they compete with arachidonic acid and reduce its inflammatory metabolites. In the present study, the fatty acid composition of plasma and kidney in rats with anti-Thy1.1 nephritis was investigated. Materials and Methods: A group of male Wister rats weighing about 200 g was injected with anti-Thy1.1 antibody (1.25 mL/kg) through their tail veins (nephritis group). Rats in the control group were injected with saline. Five days after the injection, urinary protein levels were determined. All rats were then sacrificed and fatty acid composition of plasma and kidney were analyzed. Results: Eicosapentaenoic acids (EPA) levels in the kidney phospholipid (PL) fraction in the nephritis group were significantly lower than those in the control group (0.67±0.06 mol% vs. 0.96±0.06 mol%, p<0.05). EPA levels in the plasma PL fraction in the nephritis group were also significantly lower than those in the control group (0.38±0.05 mol% vs. 0.59±0.03 mol%, p<0.05). Urinary protein levels 5 days after the injection were inversely correlated with EPA levels in the kidney PL fraction (r²=0.65, p=0.01). These results suggested that decreased EPA levels in the kidney PL fraction might play an important role in anti-Thy1.1 nephritis.