In vivo incorporation of3H arachidonic acid and14C linoleic acid into liver lipids from essential fatty acid-deficient rats

Essential fatty acid (EFA)-deficient rats were injected intraportally with a labeled solution containing³H arachidonic acid and¹⁴C-linoleic acid during a 1 min period. Livers were quickly frozen, pulverized, and the lipids extracted and fractioned by thin layer chromatography. The incorporation of³H and¹⁴C into liver lipids was measured, and the per cent distribution of radioactivity into the different lipid fractions determined and compared with those previously obtained from normal rats. In contrast with normal rats, ca. 70% of the³H arachidonic acid and¹⁴C-linoleic acid incorporated into total lipids from EFA-deficient rats was recovered in the phospholipid fraction. From the results of this experiment, it is suggested that a more active deacylation-reacylation cycle in EFA-deficiency could be responsible for this increase.