飼料による食細胞膜脂質の修飾と結核感染

抄録

Mice were fed with diets deficient in essential fatty acids for 3 to 7 weeks. Polymorphonuclear leucocytes and macrophages were harvested from their casein-induced peritoneal exudate to be subjected to lipid analysis comparing with the corresponding materials obtained from the mice fed with control diets. As for the distribution pattern of constituent fatty acids of phospholipids, linoleic and arachidonic acids decreased in the mice fed with the deficient diets, and the rate of oleic acid increased. At the same time, tuberculous infection developed in a more exacerbated fashion. The correlation between these two observations was discussed referring to our previous finding that polyunsaturated fatty acids in free form are highly toxic to tubercle bacilli and that phospholipid degradation of the phagocytic cell membrane at areas of close contact with the bacterial surface may release such toxic fatty acids.