Lipolysis of polyenoic fatty acid esters of human chylomicrons by lipoprotein lipase

Abstract

Human chylomicrons, obtained from chylous pleural fluid of a patient with mesothelioma, were incubated with bovine milk lipoprotein lipase. No difference in the release of different C₁₆–C₁₈ fatty acids as unesterified fatty acids, or in their appearance in diacylglycerols, was observed. The rate of lipolysis of arachidonic (20:4), and eicosapentaenoic (20:5) acid ester bonds of chylomicron triacylglycerols was slower, and a larger proportion of these fatty acids accumulated in mono- and diacylglycerols. The hydrolysis pattern for docosahexaenoic acid (22:6) was intermediary between that of the C₁₆–C₁₈ fatty acids and that of 20:4 and 20:5. The data suggest that the presence of a double bond at position 5 in the eicosanoid precursors may be important for the rate of lipolysis. The relative resistance of the 20:4- and 20:5-esters of chylomicrons to lipoprotein lipase may be important for the tissue distribution of these fatty acids.