Metabolic conversions and the positional distributions in liver lecithin of some unnatural dienoic acids in the rat

Abstract

The metabolism of 9,15-octadecadienoate, 12,15-octadecadienoate and 7,13-eicosadienoate was investigated in the fatdeficient rat. The liver lecithins of those animals receiving 9,15- and 12,15-octadecadienoate, as well as the animal remaining on the fat-deficient control, were isolated. The fatty acid distributional pattern was determined by the use of lecithinase A. All three of the experimental dienoic acids were incorporated into tissue lipids. None of the acids, however, was converted to longer chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. The 9,15-octadecadienoate was esterified almost exclusively to the β-position of lecithin, whereas 12,15-octadecadienoate was about equally distributed between the α- and β-positions.