Abstract
Three groups of male, weanling, Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing 7% hydrogenated coconut oil, 6.6% hydrogenated coconut oil + 0.4% corn oil, or 7% corn oil for 8-17 weeks. These diets provided 0% (EFAD group), 0.5% (MEFAD group) or 5% (CONTROL group) of the total energy as linoleic acid, respectively. Crude plasma membranes were prepared from heart and assayed for adenylate cyclase activity. The results suggest that the changes induced by EFA deficiency in the acyl group composition of membrane phospholipids and in the number of beta-adrenergic receptors may be important in regulating adenylate cyclase activity in the heart.