EFFECTS OF DIETARY 18:3 N-3 TRANS ISOMERS ON THE Δ6 DESATURATION OF α-LINOLENIC ACID

Trans isomers of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are formed during heat treatment of oils. In the present work, the effect of dietary geometrical isomers of α-linolenic acid (18:3 n-3) on the Δ6 desaturation of all cis 18:3 n-3 was investigated, using rat liver microsomes. The desaturation rates were higher in microsomes from animals fed a cis n-3 deficient diet, as compared to those from the control group or those from rats fed 18:3 n-3 and its trans isomers. These data and the incorporation of long chain trans PUFA in microsomal lipids suggest that geometrical isomers of 18:3 n-3 are probably slowly desaturated and elongated into long chain trans polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to 18:3 n-3.