Effect of an Essential Fatty Acid Deficiency in Rats on the Incorporation in vitro of Palmitate-1-14C and Linoleate-1-14C into Liver Glycerolipids

Abstract

In an attempt to learn more about the nature of the biochemical alterations occurring in an essential fatty acid deficiency, the incorporation, in vitro, of palmitate-1-14C and linoleate-1-14C into several glycerolipids has been measured in whole homogenate, microsomes, and microsomes plus supernatant, of livers from normal and essential fatty acid deficient rats. When either the homogenate or the microsomes plus supernatant were used as enzyme, most of the incorporation of palmitate-1-14C and linoleate-1-14C occurred in the triglycerides. When the microsomal fraction was used, however, relatively little radioactivity was observed in the triglycerides, and most of the 14C uptake from both fatty acids occurred in the phosphatidylethanolamines. The incorporation of the fatty acids into the several lipids studied clearly was altered by the imposition of an essential unsaturated fatty acid deficiency. These effects differed depending upon the fatty acid used as precursor, the specific type of glycerolipid considered, and the portion of the liver used as enzyme.