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Hepatic metabolism of 1‐ 14 C octanoic and 1‐ 14 C palmitic acids
Author(s) -
Scheig Robert,
Klatskin Gerald
Publication year - 1968
Publication title -
journal of the american oil chemists' society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.512
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1558-9331
pISSN - 0003-021X
DOI - 10.1007/bf02679042
Subject(s) - palmitic acid , metabolism , phospholipid , fatty acid , chemistry , biochemistry , incubation , membrane
The hepatic metabolism of 1 −14 C octanoic acid was compared with that of 1 −14 C palmitic acid in male rats which were fed. After intraportal injection only 1/6 to 1/18 as much octanoic acid as palmitic acid was incorporated into hepatic lipids. In contrast, octanoic acid yielded two to four times as much water‐soluble product as did palmitic acid. Similar, but even more impressive, differences between the incorporation of these fatty acids into hepatic lipids were observed in liver slices incubated with 14 C octanoate and 14 C palmitate. The oxidation of octanoate to CO 2 was more than 10 times as great as that of palmitate. With both substrates, triglycerides comprised almost half the labeled lipid recovered. However octanoate yielded a higher proportion of labeled, unesterified fatty acids and a lower proportion of labeled phospholipid and monoglycerides than did palmitate. Most of the 14 C recovered in hepatic lipids after incubation with 1 −14 C octanoate was found in the carboxyl groups of long‐chain fatty acids, suggesting that the latter had been synthesized from 2‐carbon fragments formed from the oxidation of octanoate. In contrast, only a small fraction of the palmitate was elongated. The similarities and differences between the metabolism of octanoic and palmitic acid in liver and intestine, and the possible nutritional significance of octanoic acid are discussed.