FATTY-ACID AND POSITIONAL SELECTIVITIES OF GASTRIC LIPASE FROM PREMATURE HUMAN INFANTS - IN-VITRO STUDIES

Gastric lipase activity in aspirates from premature human infants was tested for fatty acid and positional selectivity using racemic diacid triacylglycerols (TG) as substrates. The resulting free fatty acids an d monoacylglycerols (MG) were recovered and analyzed Octanoic acid (8: 0) and decanoic acid (10:0) were hydrolyzed with a preference of 61.5: 1 and 2.4:1 compared to palmitic acid (16:0) from rac-16:0-8:0-8:0 and rac-16:0-10:0-10, respectively. The ratio of lauric acid (12:0) to ol eic acid (18:1) hydrolyzed from rac-18:1-12:0-12:0 was 13:1. Myristic acid (14:0), 18:1 and linoleic acid (18:2) were released at similar ra tes. These data and the composition of the MG suggest that, in vitro, the lipase is selective for shorter chain fatty acids and for fatty ac ids on the primary positions of the TG backbone.