Eicosapentaenoic and dihomo gamma linolenic acid metabolism by cultured rat mesangial cells.

To better understand the effects of dietary fatty acid manipulations on glomerular function, we compared mesangial incorporation, release, and metabolism of arachidonic (AA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA), and dihomo gamma linolenic (DHG) acids. We found marked differences in mesangial handling of these fatty acids. AA was incorporated into lipids of mesangial cells much more rapidly than EPA or DHG. Ionophore-induced stimulation of fatty acid release from mesangial cells prelabeled with [14C]AA, [14C]EPA, or [14C]DHG caused a release of labeled AA greater than DHG much less than EPA, respectively. Preloading mesangial cells with DHG or EPA for 24 h reduced subsequent basal, ionophore-, and hormone-stimulated prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis. Finally, unlike AA, neither EPA nor DHG was converted to a significant extent by mesangial cyclooxygenase or lipoxygenase. Thus the mesangial metabolism of DHG and EPA differs both quantitatively and qualitatively from that of AA. Furthermore, EPA and DHG inhibit metabolism of AA at the level of mesangial cyclooxygenase.