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The activating effect of dietary protein on linoleic acid desaturation
Author(s) -
Peluffo R. O.,
De Gomez Dumm I. N. T.,
Brenner R. R.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
lipids
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.601
H-Index - 120
eISSN - 1558-9307
pISSN - 0024-4201
DOI - 10.1007/bf02531504
Subject(s) - microsome , linoleic acid , clinical chemistry , lipidology , biochemistry , microsoma , biology , food science , linolenic acid , fatty acid , chemistry , enzyme
The desaturation of 14 C‐1‐linoleic acid to γ‐linolenic acid and their incorporation into the microsomal lipids of rats fed on a balanced diet and a protein diet were measured in vitro. It was shown that a protein diet does not change significantly the distribution of the radioactivity among the different lipidic fractions compared to the animals fed on a balanced diet. However the microsomal desaturation of linoleic acid to γ‐linolenic acid increased in the rats maintained on a protein diet. Besides, the amount and composition of the free fatty acids present in the microsomes of the animals fed on both diets were similar enough to discard the hypothesis that they may modify the desaturation of linoleic acid produced by the diet. The enzymic activity of the linoleyl desaturase of liver microsomes of animals fed on a protein diet, measured in substrate saturating conditions, is greater than in animals with balanced diet. Consequently the results support the hypothesis that a protein diet increases specifically the desaturating activity of the microsomes.