Effect of simvastatin on desaturase activities in liver from lean and obese zucker rats

The effect of simvastatin, a hypocholesterolemic drug, on the biosynthesis of arachidonic acid was studied in obese and lean Zucker rats. After administration of 2 mg/kg body weight/d for 13 d, delta 6 and delta 5 desaturase activities were measured in liver microsomes at two substrate concentrations. In untreated rats, the delta 6 desaturation rate was similar in the obese and lean rats when measured at saturating substrate levels, whereas delta 5 desaturation was lower in the obese animals. Treatment with simvastatin did not change delta 6 desaturation in either phenotype but increased delta 5 desaturation in obese rats to reach the unchanged rate observed in lean animals. The changes wer…