Lymphatic absorption of α-linolenic acid in rats fed flaxseed oil-based emulsion

Abstract

The bioavailability of α-linolenic acid (ALA) from flaxseed oil in an emulsified formv.a non-emulsified form was investigated by using two complementary approaches: the first one dealt with the characterisation of the flaxseed oil emulsion inin vitrogastrointestinal-like conditions; the second one compared the intestinal absorption of ALA in rats fed the two forms of the oil. Thein vitrostudy on emulsified flaxseed oil showed that decreasing the pH from 7·3 to 1·5 at the physiological temperature (37°C) induced instantaneous oil globule coalescence. Some phase separation was observed under acidic conditions that vanished after further neutralisation. The lecithin used to stabilise the emulsions inhibited TAG hydrolysis by pancreatic lipase. In contrast, lipid solubilisation by bile salts (after lipase and phospholipase hydrolysis) was favoured by preliminary oil emulsification. Thein vivoabsorption of ALA in thoracic lymph duct-cannulated rats fed flaxseed oil, emulsified or non-emulsified, was quantified. Oil emulsification significantly favoured the rate and extent of ALA recovery as measured by the maximum ALA concentration in the lymph (Cmax = 14 mg/ml at 3 h in the emulsion groupv.9 mg/ml at 5 h in the oil group;P < 0·05). Likewise, the area under the curve of the kinetics was significantly higher in the emulsion group (48 mg × h/ml for rats fed emulsionv.26 mg × h/ml for rats fed oil;P < 0·05). On the whole, ALA bioavailability was improved with flaxseed oil ingested in an emulsified state. Data obtained from thein vitrostudies helped to partly interpret the physiological results.