Metabolic fate of an oral tracer dose of 3c-docosahexaenoic acid triglycerides in the rat. Brossard, Nicole, Martine Croset, Jean Lecerf, Christiane Pachiaudi, Sylvie Normand, V[acute]eronique Chirouze, Olga Macovschi, Jean Paul Riou, Jean Louis Tayot, and Michel Lagarde. INSERM U 352, Chimie Biologique INSA-Lyon, Villeurbanne, France; INSERM U 197, Facult[acute]e de M[acute]edecine A. Carrel, Lyon, France; 3IMEDEX, Z.I. Les Troques, Chaponost, France
APStracts 2:0290R, 1995.
The appearance of 13C-docosahexaenoic acid (13C-22:6n-3) in rat lipoprotein, blood cell and brain lipids was followed as a function of time after the ingestion of triglycerides (TG) containing 13C -22:6n-3. The time course of 13C abundance in 22:6n-3 of various lipid pools, measured by gas-chromatography combustion-isotope mass spectrometry, established precursor-product relationships within lipids. The 13C-22:6n-3 was rapidly incorporated into VLDL/Chylomicron-TG and unesterified fatty acids bound to albumin, with a concomitant maximal appearance at 3 h and further decline. Lyso-phosphatidylcholines (lyso-PC) bound to albumin were also enriched in 13C-22:6n-3 and their labeling appeared to be mainly due to hepatic secretion at the earliest time points. From 12 h post -ingestion, the synthesis of 13C-22:6n-3-lyso-PC was twice higher than that of unesterified 13C-22:6n-3, making lyso-PC a potential source of 22:6n-3 supply for tissues. The labeling of platelet, red cell and brain phospholipids presented different kinetics, presumably involving the two lipid forms of 13C-22:6n-3 bound to albumin, to different extents. We conclude that 13C-22:6n-3 esterified in TG is rapidly redistributed within blood lipoproteins and the albumin fraction and that its incorporation in lipid species bound to albumin influences its uptake by target tissues.

Received 24 April 1995; accepted in final form 18 October 1995.
APS Manuscript Number R244-5.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Regulatory Integrative
Comp. Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1995 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 14 November 95