Abstract: Effects of fish oil on β-adrenoceptors as well as the activity of adenylate cyclase (AC) on rat myocardial membrane were investigated.Supplementation with fish oil had no significant effect on basal activity of AC on myocardial membrane whereas it could markedly inhibit the AC activity stimulated by isoproterenol (ISO). Radioligand binding assays showed that supplementation with fish oil had no effect on Bmax and Kd, compared with saline control. However, supplementation with sheep oil could markedly reduce both the Kd and Bmax, compared with saline control. And the Kd of sheep oil group was greatly decreased than that of fish oil group. The results suggested that supplementation with fish oil mainly affected the activation of AC, not β-adrenoceptor itself.

Key words: Fish oil, EPA and DHA, Adenylate cyclase, β-adrenoceptor