Incorporation and metabolism of stearic, oleic, linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids in minimal deviation hepatoma 7288 C cells.

Minimal Deviation Hepatoma 7288 C cells were cultured in confluent layer with labeled stearic, oleic, linoleic and a-linolenic acids. The kinetics of incorporation and conversion ~o higher homologs was studied. The maximum amounts incorporated in nmoles per mg of cellular protein for stearic, olei¢; linoleic and a-linolenic acids were 39, 115.6, 90 and 230 respectively. a-linolenic acid was converted to octadeca6,9,12,15-tetraenoic acid (18:4), eicosa11,14,17-trienoic acid (20 : 3), eicosa-8,11,14,17 and 5,11,14,17-tetraenoic acids (20:4) and eicosa-5,8,11,14,17-pentaenoic acid (20:5), and also to myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic and oleic acids. By a mathematical approach, the endogenous pool size of a-linolenic acid available for conversion to eicosa-5,8,11,14,17pentaenoic acid, and the capacity of the cell to convert a-l inolenic acid to eicosa5,8,11,14,17pentaenoic acid, were calculated. Both values decreased when the cells were preincubated with unlabeled a-linolenic acid.