Fatty acid-binding protein activity in tissues from pigs fed diets containing 0 and 20% high oleate oil

Eight pigs (four sets of littermates) were allotted to either a control sorghum-soybean meal diet or a test diet containing 20% canola oil. The pigs were slaughtered at approximately 100 kg live weight. Subcutaneous adipose tissue, longissimus dorsi muscle and liver samples were collected immediately after slaughter. Fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) was measured in 104,000 x g supernatant fractions. Characterization of the FABP assay with liver supernatants indicated that FABP exhibited sigmoidal kinetics, with an apparent Kd of 0.75 microM. Doubling the protein amount in the assay did not affect the FABP activity. FABP was demonstrated in liver, with an activity of 3448 pmol bound/g liver, and in adipose tissue, with an activity of 276 pmol bound/g adipose tissue. No activity was observed in the muscle tissue. FABP activity of liver and adipose tissue from swine fed 20% canola oil was higher on a per gram tissue basis than that in tissues from pigs fed the control diet.