Esterification of essential and non-essential fatty acids into distinct lipid classes in ruminant and non-ruminant...

Extensive microbial biohydrogenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the rumen reduces the essential fatty acids (EFA) available for absorption in ruminant animals, but there is no published documentation of ruminants developing EFA deficiency. In ruminants, most circulating PUFA are found in the phospholipid (PL) and cholesteryl ester lipid classes that have slow turn-over compared to other lipid classes. The objective of this experiment was to measure fatty acid esterification patterns of the non-EFA palmitic (16:0) and oleic acid (18:1), and the EFA linoleic (18:2) and linolenic acid (18:3) in small intestine, liver, and muscle tissue of cows and pigs to identify tissues participating in sequestration of these FA in less metabolically active lipid classes in ruminants. Bovine and porcine small intestine, liver, and muscle explants were prepared and incubated in media containing radiolabeled 16:0, 18:1, 18:2, or 18:3 to measure esterification of fatty acids into PL and TG. Neither bovine nor porcine small intestine explants preferentially incorporated non-EFA compared to EFA into PL vs TG. Bovine liver explants esterified a larger proportion of EFA than non-EFA into PL compared to TG, while incorporation was similar among the FA tested in porcine liver explants. Bovine muscle explants showed preferential incorporation of EFA into PL rather than TG. Results show that bovine and porcine liver and muscle esterify EFA and non-EFA differently and that the conservation of EFA in ruminants is a result of preferential incorporation of EFA into PL mediated by bovine liver and muscle, but not the small intestine.