6533b7d5fe1ef96bd1264f81

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Influence of cyclopropene fatty acids (Baobab seed oil) feeding on the in vitro Δ9 desaturation of stearic acid in rat liver microsomes

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Abstract Δ9 desaturation of [1−14C] stearic acid to oleic acid was studied in liver microsomes of rats fed either fresh Baobab seed oil, containing cyclopropene fatty acids (malvalic acid and sterculic acids), or heated Baobab oil, containing only minor amounts of these acids. This was compared with rats fed a control oil mixture or a fat-free diet. Up to 50 nmol of substrate, Δ9 desaturation rate was the same in rats fed the three fat diets. From 50 to 150 nmol, the desaturation rates were practically constant in rats fed fresh Baobab seed oil. It increased in heated oil-fed rats at the same rate as in the control group, but more slowly than in the fat-free diet group. Fatty acid composition of liver microsomal lipids did not reflect the in vitro observed desanturation rate because monounsaturated fatty acids were in the same percentages in fresh and heated Baobab seed oil-fed rats. Moreover, the proportion of arachidonic acid was lower, and that of linoleic acid higher for both diets, in comparison with controls, suggesting a decreased Δ6 and/or Δ5 desaturation rate.