Differences in the fatty acid composition of fatty acid ethyl esters in organs and their secretions.
BACKGROUND
Fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) are nonoxidative ethanol metabolites that have been shown to be long term markers of ethanol intake and have been implicated as mediators of ethanol-induced cell injury. Previous studies have indicated that the fatty acid composition of the FAEE found in the plasma of human subjects after ethanol ingestion is predominantly ethyl palmitate and ethyl oleate. This raised the possibility that there is some selectivity toward the fatty acid used for FAEE to be exported from the liver into the blood.


METHODS
To address the hypothesis that the fatty acid composition of FAEE secreted from organs, such as the liver and pancreas, differs from the fatty acid composition of FAEE in the organs, this study was performed using rats that received ethanol by intra-arterial infusion.


RESULTS
It was found that the fatty acids in FAEE differed significantly in plasma versus liver, bile versus liver, and pancreatic secretions versus pancreas.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that organs selectively export certain FAEE species.
Laposata
M
M
Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston 02114, USA. mlaposata@partners.org
Kabakibi
A
A
Walden
M P
MP
Cluette-Brown
J E
JE
Nanji
A A
AA
Refaai
M A
MA
Werner
J
J
Nanji
A A
AA
D000818:Animals; D001646:Bile / Q000737:chemistry; D004952:Esters / Q000032:analysis*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D008041:Linoleic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009829:Oleic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D010179:Pancreas / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010189:Pancreatic Juice / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013228:Stearates / Q000032:analysis
D004952:Esters; D005227:Fatty Acids; D008041:Linoleic Acids; D009829:Oleic Acids; D013228:Stearates; C026345:ethyl stearate; C007678:ethyl linoleate; C033180:ethyl oleate