title: Dietary gangliosides enhance in vitro lipid uptake in weanling rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The intestine adapts morphologically or functionally in response to environmental stimuli. Dietary lipids modify brush border membrane (BBM) permeability and nutrient transporter activities. Gangliosides (GANG) are glycolipids in human milk that are present only in low amounts in infant formula. Exogenous GANG are incorporated into cell membranes and increase their permeability. The objective of this study was to determine whether feeding a GANG-enriched diet alters in vitro intestinal lipid absorption.
  
  
  METHODS
  Weanling rats were fed either (1) GANG-enriched diet; (2) diet enriched with polyunsaturated long-chain fatty acids; or (3) isocaloric control diet for 2 weeks, after which in vitro intestinal lipid uptake was measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Feeding GANG did not alter weight gain or intestinal morphology. Enhanced uptake of stearic acid (18:0) in the ileum and stearic and linoleic acid (18:2) in the jejunum was not associated with a change in the abundance of the ileal lipid binding protein (ILBP), the intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP), or the liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We speculate that the enhanced uptake of long-chain fatty acids in weanling rats fed GANG may be caused by a modification in physical properties of the BBM.
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Metabolism Group, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Celina J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Birecki
authors.forename: Laurie A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Drozdowski
authors.forename: Miyoung
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.forename: Eek Joong
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: M Tom
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Clandinin
authors.forename: Alan B R
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Thomson
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*; D007082:Ileum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007583:Jejunum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008871:Microvilli / Q000502:physiology*; D010539:Permeability; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014886:Weaning
chemical_list: D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D005732:Gangliosides