Research

Absorption and metabolism of conjugated α-linolenic acid given as free fatty acids or triacylglycerols in rats

Mélanie Plourde^1,2 , Jean-Pierre Sergiel¹ , Jean-Michel Chardigny³ , Stéphane Grégoire¹ , Paul Angers² and Jean-Louis Sébédio³

¹  UMR INRA-ENESAD Flavic, 21065 Dijon, France

²  Department of Food Science and Nutrition, INAF/Dairy Research Center (Stela), Université Laval, Sainte-Foy, Québec, G1K 7P4, Canada

³  INRA-Université d'Auvergne, Laboratoire de Nutrition Humaine, 63 009 Clermont-Ferrand, France

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Nutrition & Metabolism 2006, 3:8doi:10.1186/1743-7075-3-8

Published:	20 January 2006

Abstract

Background

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a group of polyunsaturated fatty acids which have been extensively studied in the past two decades. However, conjugated octadecatrienoic acid such as cis-9,trans-11,cis-15 and cis-9,trans-13,cis-15, recently identified, have not been extensively investigated. This work presents bioavailability and tissue incorporation of a mixture of conjugated octadecatrienoic (CLnA) acids ingested as free fatty acids (FFA) and triacylglycerols (TAG).

Results

Male Wistar rats were fed rumenic acid (RA: cis-9,trans-11 18:2) and a CLnA mixture (cis-9,trans-11,cis-15 18:3 and cis-9,trans-13,cis-15 18:3) as FFA and TAG for 8 days. RA and CLnA were both totally absorbed when given as FFA as well as TAG. Both isomers of CLnA as FFA or TAG were incorporated into neutral lipids. Metabolites up to 22:6 conjugated isomers were present in liver and plasma phospholipids of rats fed the CLnA diets.

Conclusion

Finally, CLnA are as well absorbed as RA in vivo and their incorporation into tissues and bioconversion are similar when ingested as FFA or as TAG.