Rabbits were subjected to 3 h of hyperthermia at 40 degrees C. The phospholipid content of the brain was unchanged, whereas the free fatty acids increased by about 73% over control levels. Hyperthermia also induced inhibition of fatty acid peroxidation processes. The last products of fatty acid peroxidation, the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, diminished significantly during hyperthermia, whereas the level of the first intermediate of this pathway, the conjugated double bonds, remained unchanged. Simultaneously, the levels of lipid-soluble antioxidants decreased significantly. The content of free fatty acids, malondialdehyde, and lipid-soluble anti-oxidant returned toward control levels during 3 h of recovery. The content of gangliosides was 10-20% above control values in the groups of animals examined immediately and 3 h after hyperthermia. The ganglioside-specific enzymes, neuraminidase and sialyltransferase, both directed toward endogenous lipid substrates, were activated by hyperthermia, suggesting the stimulation of turnover of the gangliosides during the course of hyperthermia. Lipid alterations resulting from short-term hyperthermia may influence the physicochemical properties of neuronal membranes.
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