title: Lymph fatty acid composition during constant infusion of saturated fats of different chain lengths in the rat.
abstract: The fatty acid composition of intestinal lymph in the rat was determined during constant intraduodenal infusion of a single saturated fatty acid with chain length ranging from C8 to C18 in the form of mixed mono- and diglycerides. The appearance of the infused fatty acid in lymph triglycerides depended on the chain length with the optimum at 14 and 16. Fatty acids with chain length less than 14 were not significantly incorporated into lymph phospholipid and cholesterol ester. Lymph phospholipids had the highest specificity toward stearic acid and cholesterol esters toward palmitic acid. Feeding hydrogenated coconut oil to the rat diminished the essential fatty acids and induced eicosatrienoic acid (20:3 omega 9) present in lymph lipids with no change in the appearance of infused saturated fatty acids except an increase in the infused lauric acid in lymph triglyceride. This study also suggested that the rat intestine probably could synthesize and export triglycerides containing almost entirely myristic and palmitic acids, but unsaturated fatty acids apparently were required for the synthesis of other lipoprotein lipids to transport saturated fatty acids via the lymphatic pathway.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002788:Cholesterol Esters / Q000378:metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*; D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential / Q000172:deficiency; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008196:Lymph / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002788:Cholesterol Esters; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential; D010743:Phospholipids; D014280:Triglycerides