Intestinal metabolism of fatty acids.

1. The effect of concentration on the oxidation and incorporation into lipids of lauric acid and linoleic acid by rings of rat small intestine has been studied in vitro. 2. In the absence of glucose, the oxidation of lauric acid in the range 0.01-5.0mm showed a maximum at 0.1mm. In the presence of glucose the maximum was at 0.5mm. The oxidation of linoleic acid in the presence of glucose increased throughout the concentration range 0.01-5.0mm. 3. The incorporation of lauric acid into lipids was maximal at 0.5-0.6mm in the presence of glucose, but at 10mm in the absence of glucose. At 0.8mm-lauric acid, in the presence of glucose, over 75% of the incorporated lauric acid was in triglycerides, but at 10mm they only contained 30%. The incorporation of glucose carbon into glycerides paralleled the incorporation of lauric acid. 4. In the range 0.01-2.5mm-linoleic acid the quantity incorporated into lipids increased. In the range 0.01-0.4mm linoleic acid was incorporated predominantly into triglycerides, but between 0.4 and 1.0mm most was in diglycerides, and between 2.5 and 5.0mm most was in monoglycerides. 5. The relationship of fatty acid concentration to the mechanism of absorption is discussed, together with the correlation between the distribution of the absorbed fatty acids within the tissue lipids and the lipase activity of intestinal mucosa.