title: Dietary linoleic acid influences desaturation and acylation of deuterium-labeled linoleic and linolenic acids in young adult males.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary linoleic acid (18:2(n - 6)) on the conversion of 18:2(n - 6) and 18:3(n - 3) to their respective n - 6 and n - 3 metabolites; to compare the incorporation of these fatty acids into human plasma lipids; to evaluate the importance of dietary 18:3(n - 3) as a precursor for the biosynthesis of long-chain length n - 3 fatty acids. The approach used was to feed young adult male subjects (n = 7) diets containing 2 levels of linoleic acid (SAT diet, 15 g/day; PUFA diet, 30 g/day) for 12 days. A mixture of triacylglycerols containing deuterated linolenic (18:3(n - 3)) and linoleic (18:2(n - 6)) acids was fed and blood samples were drawn over a 48 h period. Concentrations of deuterated 18:3(n - 3) in plasma total lipid ranged from 309.2 to 606.4 microgram/ml and concentrations of 18:2(n - 6) ranged from 949.2 to 1743.3 micrograms/ml. The sum of the deuterated n - 3 long-chain length fatty acid metabolites in plasma total lipid were 116 +/- 4.3 micrograms/ml (SAT diet) and 41.6 +/- 12.4 micrograms/ml (PUFA diet). The total deuterated n - 6 fatty acid metabolites were 34.6 +/- 12.2 micrograms/ml (SAT diet) and 9.8 +/- 5.9 micrograms/ml (PUFA diet). The total percent conversion of deuterated 18:3(n - 3) to n - 3 fatty acid metabolites and deuterated 18:2(n - 6) to n - 6 fatty acid metabolites were 11-18.5% and 1.0-2.2%, respectively. The percentages for deuterated 20:5(n - 3), 22:5(n - 3) and 22:6(n - 3) (6.0%, 3.5%, and 3.8%) were much higher than for 20:3(n - 6) and 20:4(n - 6) (0.9% and 0.5%). Overall, conversion of deuterated 18:3(n - 3) and 18:2(n - 6) was reduced by 40-54% when dietary intake of 18:2(n - 6) was increased from 15 to 30 g/day. Comparison of the deuterated 18:3(n - 3) and 18:2(n - 6) data for plasma triacylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine (PC) indicated that 18:2(n - 6) was preferentially incorporated into PC. Dietary 18:2(n - 6) intake did not alter acyltransferase selectivity but activity was reduced when 18:2(n - 6) intake was increased. Based on these results, conversion of the 18:3(n - 3) in the US diet (2 g) is estimated to provide 75-85% of the long-chain length n - 3 fatty acids needed to meet daily requirements for some (but not all) adults.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Peoria, IL 61604.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Emken
authors.forename: R O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Adlof
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Gulley
mesh_terms: D000215:Acylation; D000328:Adult; D003903:Deuterium; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004075:Diglycerides / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D019787:Linoleic Acid; D008041:Linoleic Acids / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000378:metabolism; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines / Q000378:metabolism; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D004075:Diglycerides; D008041:Linoleic Acids; D008055:Lipids; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid; D019787:Linoleic Acid; D003903:Deuterium