EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF FEEDING ON PORTULACA OLERACEA SEED OIL ON BIOSYNTHESIS OF LONG CHAIN POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS IN RATS

Feeding on foods with high levels of omega 3 (n-3) fatty acids is a major challenge in Egypt because most of the oils used in nutrition are characterized by high content of n-6 fatty acids and low content of n-3 fatty acids. It is so difficult to obtain n-3 fatty acids from cold-water fish for their high price and mercury pollution. So you should look for new alternatives such as purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) seed oil which is rich in α-linolenic acid (ALA), the precursor of the rest of the omega 3 fatty acids (n-3) family (C20:5 or eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and C22:6 or docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]). This study is designed to evaluate the hepatic bioconversion of ALA and linoleic (LA) to long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) and the statue of liver in male albino rats fed on purslane seed oil. Three experimental groups (n= 10 rats each group) were feed on these three different oils (sunflower oil, olive oil and purslane seed oil) for 30 days. Purslane seed oil increased ALA, EPA and DHA in liver compared with sunflower oil and olive oil groups without any changes in the parameters which express liver damage. It is concluded that purslane seed oil may be good nutritional source for providing n-3 fatty acid (ALA, EPA and DHA).