The recognition system of dietary fatty acids by the rat small intestinal cells

Small intestinal epithelial cells interact with a rather high concentration of fatty acids derived from the diet. These fatty acids directly or indirectly regulate the functions of the small intestine. We report here that linoleic acid and oleic acid markedly increased the influx of 45Ca2+ into the small intestinal epithelial cell line (IEC 6). By contrast, octanoic acid, methyl linoleate, and linolyl alcohol had no effect on the influx. Acidic amino acids, methyl linoleate, and linolyl alcohol, inhibited the linoleic acid-induced influx of 45Ca2+, indicating that activation of the influx by linoleic acid depended on the chain length and was affected by the presence of a carboxyl group. Of the gastrointestinal hormones, somatostatin specifically inhibited the linoleic acid-induced influx of 45Ca2+.