Digestion, Absorption and Metabolism of Chimyl Alcohol Fed as Free Alcohol or as Alkoxydiglyceride.

Abstract

C14-labelled chimyl alcohol has been fed as free alcohol or as chimyl dioleate to rats. Intestinal contents and thoracic duct lymph lipids have been analyzed and expired CO2 has been collected. Mixed ether-glycerides have been isolated from the intestinal contents after feeding free chimyl alcohol indicating a synthesis of new glyceride ester bonds. The results of the experiments with labelled chimyl dioleate indicate an exchange and release of fatty acids in both 1-, and 2-position. In lymph lipids more than half the radioactivity was associated with palmitic acid, indicating a splitting of the ether bond in the mucosa cells. It is concluded that chimyl alcohol can be absorbed unchanged but that it is extensively metabolized already in the mucosa cells whether it is fed as free chimyl alcohol or as an alkoxydiglyceride.