Polyenylphosphatidylcholine corrects the alcohol-induced hepatic oxidative stress by restoring s-adenosylmethionine.

Aims: Since the late stages of alcoholic liver injury are associated with decreased activity of methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT), we wondered whether this already occurs at the early stages and what is the mechanism involved.

Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 32) were pair-fed ethanol (36% of energy) or isocaloric carbohydrates (control) in Lieber-DeCarli liquid diets, with or without polyenylphosphatidylcholine (PPC).

Results: After 2 months, there was a striking depletion of S-adenosylmethionine (measured by high-performance liquid chromatography) from 68.

Polyenylphosphatidylcholine protects against alcohol but not iron-induced oxidative stress in the liver.

Background: We reported before that, in baboons, the alcohol-induced oxidative stress in the liver is associated with depletion of dilinoleoylphosphatidylcholine [the major component of polyenylphosphatidylcholine (PPC)] and that both can be corrected by the administration of PPC, but we did not determine whether this protection extended to iron-induced oxidative stress.

Methods: To compare the effects of PPC on alcohol- and iron-induced hepatic oxidative stress, 56 Sprague Dawley male rats were pair-fed nutritionally adequate liquid diets containing ethanol (36% of energy) or isocaloric carbohydrate and PPC (3 mg/ml) or safflower oil (2.73 mg/ml), with or without 5 mg/ml carbonyl iron for 2 months.

Dilinoleoylphosphatidylcholine is the active antioxidant of polyenylphosphatidylcholine.

Background: Polyenylphosphatidylcholine, a mixture of polyunsaturated phospholipids, prevents the fibrosis induced by alcohol in baboons and by CCl4 in rats and opposes the associated oxidative stress.

Methods: To determine the responsible phosphatidylcholine species, a Morris hepatoma cell line (RH 7777) was incubated with 100 mumol/L arachidonate supplemented with 20 mumol/L dilinoleoylphosphatidylcholine or 20 mumol/L palmitoyllinoleoylphosphatidylcholine which comprise 42% and 24% of polyenylphosphatidylcholine, respectively or with equivalent amounts of polyenylphosphatidylcholine. Distearoylphosphatidylcholine, the saturated analog of dilinoleoylphosphatidylcholine, also was used for comparison.

Alcohol-induced pancreatic oxidative stress: protection by phospholipid repletion.

Oxidative stress is considered to be a forerunner of pancreatitis. Since we had found polyenylphosphatidylcholine, a mixture of polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholines extracted from soybeans, to protect against hepatic oxidative stress, we now tested its effects on the pancreas. Sprague-Dawley rats were pair-fed for two months nutritionally adequate liquid diet containing ethanol (36% of energy) or isocaloric carbohydrate, with either polyenylphosphatidylcholine (3 g/1000 kcal) or safflower oil, with or without 5 g/1000 kcal carbonyl iron.