Induction of multidrug resistance-associated protein MRP3 in the liver of rats fed with docosahexaenoic acid

To clarify the alternative mechanisms to vitamin E (VE) regulating lipid peroxide accumulation in the liver after docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) ingestion, we examined the relationship between the DHA-induced lipid peroxide formation and induction of the xenobiotic transporters, Ral-binding GTPase-activating protein (RalBP1) and multidrug resistance-associated proteins 1, 2 and 3 (MRP1-3), in the liver of rats fed with DHA. The test diets contained DHA and linoleic acid (LA) (8.7% and 2.1% of total energy, respectively) with different levels of dietary VE (normal and low: 68 and 7.7 mg of alpha-tocopherol equivalent per kg diet, respectively), and the control diet contained LA alone (11.5% of total energy). The rats were fed with these experimental diets for 14d. The proportions of DHA in the liver, kidney and heart were higher in the DHA-fed groups than in the LA-fed group. The tissue thiobarbituric acid values as an index of lipid peroxidation were also significantly higher in the DHA-fed groups, but the value did not differ between the DHA-fed groups with different VE levels. In the liver, there were no significant differences in the glutathione S-transferase (GST) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activities or in the expression of GST M2, RalBP1, MRP1 and MRP2 mRNA. However, the obvious induction of expression of liver MRP3 mRNA and tendency to produce the protein were recognized after DHA ingestion. This study is the first to report the gene expression of MRP3 by DHA ingestion. There might exist, therefore, some relationship between the DHA intake and MRP3 induction in regulating lipid peroxide accumulation in the liver.