Absorption and intestinal catabolism of fatty acids in the rat: effect of chain length and unsaturation

Simultaneous portal blood absorption and intestinal mucosal catabolism of labelled fatty acids were investigated. Anaesthetized adult Wistar rats were infused intraduodenally either with 90 mumol of capric (C10:0), oleic (C18:1), linoleic (C18:2) or arachidonic (C20:4) 1-14C acids or with 30 mumol of each labelled fatty acid in addition to 30 mumol of oleic acid and 30 mumol of monopalmitin. For mixed infusates, experiments were carried out with two additional long-chain fatty acids: palmitic (C16:0) and erucic (C22:1) 1-14C acids. Radioactivity was quantified in the lipids and in the catabolic products in portal blood recovered at 5 min intervals for 1 h after infusion. At the end of the e…