INTESTINAL CONVERSION OF LINOLEIC-ACID TO ARACHIDONIC-ACID IN THE RAT

The arachidonic acid (C20:4, n-6) appearing in intestinal lymph during linoleic acid (C18.2, n-6) absorption may originate from enterocyte s ynthesis or from the liver either after secretion in biliary phospholi pids at the same time dietary linoleic acid absorption occurs or via p lasma. The radioactivity measured in the total bile collected during t he 6 hours of linoleic acid absorption is too small to explain hepatic origin of the C20:4 detected by high performance liquid chromatograph y analysis of labeled fatty acids recovered in the lymph, in the intes tinal mucosa, and the intestinal wall at the peak of linoleic acid int estinal absorption. This study confirms the probability that under in vivo conditions, during the absorption processes, rat intestine is abl e to convert dietary linoleic acid independent of liver desaturases an d elongase activities.