Metabolic heterogeneity of lecithins in intestine.

The incorporation of [2-3H]glycerol and lysolecithin labeled with [2-3H]glycerol into lecithin and its subspecies was investigated in epithelial and muscular layers of rat small intestine. The labeled compounds were administered in two wways: the intraduodenal injection and the injection into femoral vein. The incorporation of glycerol into lecithin was distinctly higher in epithelial layer than in muscular layer in both administration routes, but the incorporation of lysolecithin into lecithin showed no marked differences between both layers. Among lecithin species, dienoic and monoenoic species were highly labeled with the injection of labeled glycerol, and dienoic as well as tetraenoic specied were markedly labeled with the injecttion of labeled lysolecithin. Anyhow, no marked differences were found on the incorporation pattern of any labeled compounds into lecithin between both layers and between both administration routes.