Oleic and Linoleic Acid Interaction in Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Metabolism in the Rat

Abstract

Rats were raised with rations containing varying proportions of oleic and linoleic acids to study the interaction of these two acids as it influences the polyunsaturated fatty acid composition of liver and heart tissue. The ratio of 5,8,11-eicosatrienoic acid to arachidonic acid, an index of essential fatty acid nutrition, increased with an increase in the heart and liver oleate-to-linoleate ratio. In both heart and liver tissue, it was shown that linoleate inhibits the transformation of oleic acid to 5,8,11-eicosatrienoic acid. An inhibitory effect of oleic acid on linoleate metabolism was observed in liver tissue. Differences in fatty acid composition consistent with the lower susceptibility of female rats to essential fatty acid stress were also observed.