Unsaturated fatty acids in the postnatally developing rat lung

Fatty acid desaturase activity specific for the C-9 position is present in lung microsomes prepared from rats of all ages. This activity is significantly lower in neonatal rat lung compared with adult lung. A rapid increase in C-9 fatty acid desaturase activity seen at the approximate time of weaning may be related to a decrease in the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of the diet as the rat begins to consume laboratory chow instead of mother's milk. The 900 X g supernatant fraction of rat lung parenchymal cell homogenates is capable of incorporating linoleate, linolenate, and arachidonate into both triacylglycerols and phospholipids. Lung tissue from rats less than 20 days old incorporates these PUFA into phospholipids at a greater rate than lung tissue from adult rats. The incorporation of these PUFA into phospholipids in neonatal lung tissue occurred at a greater rate rate than their incorporation into triacylglycerols. In contrast, lung tissue from adult rats incorporated PUFA into triacylglycerols at a greater rate than into phospholipids. These data show that PUFA, known to be elevated in neonatal rat lungs, are used primarily for phospholipid biosynthesis in neonatal lung tissue whereas in adult lung tissue they are preferentially esterified to glycerol.