Mass changes in the incorporation of linoleic (C18:2), eicosapentaenoic (C20:5) and docosahexaenoic (C22:6) acids in human blood platelet phospholipids were induced by incubating the cells and these fatty acids complexed to albumin. The remodelling of [14C]C18:2, [14C]C20:5 and [14C]C22:6 in classes, subclasses and molecular species of platelet phospholipids was studied in resting and thrombin-stimulated cells. More than 85% of the incorporation was located in phospholipids, representing 5-fold and 2.5-fold increases in the phospholipid C20:5 and C22:6 endogenous content respectively. Thrombin stimulation induced a 30% degradation of 1-acyl-2-C20:5-glycerophosphocholine (GPC) and 1-acyl-2-C22:6-GPC, but did not induce significant release of C18:2 from 1-acyl-2-C18:2-GPC. There was no change in the [14C]fatty acid composition of 1-alkyl-2-acyl-GPC. Thrombin-dependent increases in 1-alkenyl-2-C20:5-glycerophosphoethanolamine (GPE) and 1-alkenyl-2-C22:6-GPE of 2.1-fold and 2.5-fold respectively accounted for the rise in GPE radioactivity and partly compensated for the loss of these fatty acids from 1,2-diacyl-GPC: transfer to 1-alkenyl-2-acyl-GPE was 0.4 and 1.5 nmol/10(9) platelets for C20:5 and C22:6 respectively. [14C]C20:5 and [14C]C22:6 were incorporated into six different species of 1,2-diacyl-GPC, with acylation in the major endogenous forms (C18:1 +C16:0 and C18:0 species) representing 76% and 66% respectively of the total radioactivity present in 1,2-diacyl-GPC. Stimulation by thrombin induced significant release of these fatty acids from the main molecular species of 1,2-diacyl-GPC, but significantly stimulated the synthesis of alkenyl forms of GPE containing C18:1/C22:6 +C16:0/C22:6, C18:0/C22:6 and C18:0/C20:5. C18:0/C18:2, the major endogenous C18:2 molecular species, represented only 10.5% of the incorporation; none of the [14C]C18:2 molecular species was a substrate for transfer towards 1-alkenyl-2-acyl-GPE. It is concluded that when C20:5 and C22:6, but not C18:2, are acylated in 1,2-diacyl-GPC, they participate in thrombin-dependent phospholipid remodelling, and might compete with the turnover and release of arachidonic acid from platelet phospholipids and the subsequent activation of the cells.