Effect of Dietary Epoxyoleic Acid Upon Rats

Abstract

In a preliminary experiment Vernonia oil containing 69% of epoxyoleic acid was fed to 5 adult rats as 10% of the diet. After 10 days two rats were killed and the lipids extracted from the viscera minus the gastrointestinal tract. The fatty acids of the lipids therein were converted to methyl esters and examined for epoxy acid content by thin-layer chromatography and near-infrared spectrophotometry. Epoxy acids were observed to be present. Three other adult rats were fed the same diet 15 days and epoxy acids were noted in adipose tissue, liver, kidneys and heart of these animals. No epoxy acids were demonstrable in comparable samples from rats fed 10% of corn oil in a similar diet. The contents of the gastrointestinal tract and feces contained epoxy acids when Vernonia oil was fed, demonstrating that the epoxy group survived the digestive system. No epoxy acid was demonstrable in comparable samples from the rats fed corn oil. In a second experiment 12 weanling rats were fed a diet containing 10% of Vernonia oil for 28 days, and 12 controls were fed a similar diet containing olive oil. Analysis of the liver lipids demonstrated that the pattern of polyunsaturated acids was normal, suggesting that epoxyoleic acid does not interfere with utilization of linoleate. Analysis of the epididymal fat revealed 14.1% of epoxyoleic acid. Thus, this unusual dietary acid survives digestion and is deposited as other acids are. Administration of Vernonia oil in the diet of rats showed no adverse effect upon gross or microscopic anatomy of the animals. Thus, it is not toxic in the level fed (7% of the diet) for the period of 28 days.