Caprenin 1. Digestion, Absorption, and Rearrangement in Thoracic Duct-Cannulated Rats

Abstract

Caprenin (CAP) is a triglyceride that primarily contains caprylic (C8:0), capric (C10:0), and behenic (C22:0) acids. This study was undertaken to determine whether or not CAP is qualitatively digested, absorbed, and rearranged like other dietary fats and oils that contain these medium-chain and very long-chain fatty acids. In vitro results showed that neat CAP, coconut oil (CO) and peanut oil (PO) were hydrolyzed by porcine pancreatic lipase. All of the neat triglycerides also were digested in vivo by both male and female rats. This was shown by the recovery of significantly more extractable lymphatic fat than with fat-free control animals and by the recovery of orally administered triglyceride-derived fatty acids in lymph triglycerides. However, substantially more PO (74%) and CO (51%) were recovered in lymph relative to CAP (10%). These quantitative differences are consistent with the fatty acid composition of each triglyceride and primary routes of fatty acid uptake. The 24-h lymphatic recovery of CAP-derived C8:0, C10:0, and C22:0 averaged 3.9%, 17.8%, and 11.2%, respectively, for male and female rats. The C8:0 and C10:0 results approximated those obtained with CO (2.0% and 16.3%, respectively). In contrast, the 24-h absorbability of C22:0 in CAP was significantly less than that seen in PO (55.4%). Finally, there was no evidence of significant rearrangement of the positions of fatty acids on glycerol during digestion and absorption. Those fatty acids recovered in lymphatic fat tended to occupy the same glyceride positions that they did in the neat administered oils. However, the lymph fats recovered from all animals dosed with fat emulsions were enriched with endogenous lymph fatty acids. It is concluded that CAP is qualitatively digested, absorbed, and processed like any dietary fat or oil that contains medium-chain and very long-chain fatty acids.