Role of dietary phospholipids in the transport of (14C) tripalmitin in the prawn.

Abstract

This paper deals with the effects of supplemental phospholipids (PL) on the assimilation and transport of [14C] tripalmitin in relation to the nutritional role of PL in diets of the prawn Penaeus japonicus. The prawns were fed on the diets containing [14C] tripalmitin with 3% soybean lecithin (diet A) and without supplemental PL (diet D), and then the incorporation of radioactivity into the organs and tissues was examined after 1, 3, and 6h of feeding. Supplemental soybean lecithin slightly accelerated the mobilization of dietary [14C] tripalmitin from the guts to the hepatopancreas but did not exert an influence upon the absorption rate (%) of [14C] tripalmitin under the conditions adopted in the present study. The inclusion of soybean lecithin in diets resulted in the increase of proportion of radioactive PL in the hemolymph, especially, phosphatidylcholine which may be used as the constituents of hemolymph lipoproteins. These results suggest that dietary PL possibly play an important role in the smooth transport of dietary lipids, especially cholesterol, in the body.