No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

The oil produced by the mold Mortierella ramanniana var. angulispora IFO 8187, containing approximately 6% of y-linolenic acid (GLA) and 10% linoleic acid (LA), was examined for its effects on blood cholesterol and eicosanoid levels in rats. Whenrats were fed cholesterol-enriched diets containing 10%fats, the hypocholesterolemic activity of the mold oil was comparable with that of safflower oil containing 75% LAand was significantly greater than in palm olein containing 16% LA. That the hypocholesterolemic effect could be ascribed exclusively to GLAwas confirmed by comparing the effects of ethyl-GLA prepared from the mold oil and ethyl-LA. In rats fed the mold oil the aortic production ofPGI2 tended to be higher, whereas the level of plasma TXB2was similar to or lower than those in rats fed safflower oil. The specific activity of J6-desaturase in liver microsomes was significantly higher and the ratio of arachidonate/linoleate in liver phosphatidylcholine was muchhigher in the mold oil than in safflower oil. These results are indicative of the specific function of the Mortierella oil in the regulation of eicosanoid production as well as cholesterol metabolism.

No abstract