The regulation of Δ6 desaturase activity by environmental temperature changes was studied in the microsomal membranes from female and ovariectomized female rat liver. Female rats adapted at 30–32 C for 20–25 days and then shifted to 13–15 C for 5 days showed an increased Δ6 desaturase system. Ovariectomized rats adapted under the same conditions did not show significant changes in this enzyme. The fatty acid compositions of microsomal phosphatidylcholine showed a decrease in arachidonic acid in female rats at 30 C compared to females at 15 C and ovariectomized rats at both temperatures. These results suggest that a modification of ovaric sex hormone levels might be responsible for the different Δ6 desaturase activity in female rats acclimated at both temperatures. In this regard, serum estradiol radioimmunoassay yielded slight differences between the two groups of female rats, suggesting that estradiol could play a role in the regulation of the Δ6 desaturase. The administration of a pharmacological dose of 17-β estradiol to female and ovariectomized rats kept at 30 and 15 C decreased the Δ6 microsomal desaturase activity. These data suggest that estradiol levels are involved in the regulation of the Δ6 desaturase during cold adaptation.