http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21314620

Dietary
supplementation of old rats with hydrogenated peanut oil restores activities of
mitochondrial respiratory complexes in skeletal
muscles.

Abstract
The effect of dietary
supplementation of old rats (26-33 months) with
hydrogenated peanut oil on
the activity of mitochondrial enzymes in
skeletal muscles has been studied.
The activities of NADH-coenzyme Q1
oxidoreductase, cytochrome c oxidase, and
citrate synthase were
determined spectrophotometrically in muscle
homogenates. The activities
of respiratory complexes I and IV were shown to
significantly decrease
with the age compared to the activity of the same
enzymes in young
animals, while the activity of citrate synthase was
virtually unchanged.
The fatty acid composition of muscle homogenates of old
rats differed
from that of young animals by a reduced content of myristic,
oleic,
linoleic, and α-linolenic acids and enhanced content of

dihomo-γ-linolenic, arachidonic, and docosahexaenoic acids. Per oral

supplementation of the old rats with hydrogenated peanut oil completely

restored the activity of complex IV and increased the activity of

complex I to 80% of the value observed in muscles of young animals,

reducing the content of stearic, dihomo-γ-linolenic, arachidonic,

eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acids relative

to that in the groups of old and young rats. The content of oleic and

linoleic acids increased relatively to that in the group of the old

rats, as well as young animals. The possible mechanisms of the

restoration of the activity of the respiratory enzymes under the

administration of hydrogenated peanut oil are discussed.