Fatty acid composition of liver and adipose tissue lipids in Wistar rats with fat diet‐induced obesity

Abstract

The influence of dietary fat on the fatty acid composition of liver and adipose tissue lipids was investigated after 4 and 19 weeks of high-fat feeding (50% fat) in comparison to low-fat feeding (3% fat), beginning in the sixth week of age. In rats fed the low-fat diet or an usual pellet diet the fatty pattern of liver triglycerides (TG) was equal to that of adipose tissue, while there were no similarities to the diet. In total liver lipids a constant fatty acid profile was observed, independently of the duration of feeding. High fat feeding results several changes in the fatty acid pattern of liver lipids. While after 4 weeks the fatty acids of liver TG more closely resembled the dietary fatty acids than those of adipose tissue, after 19 weeks of feeding the fatty acid composition of liver TG is comparable with that of adipose tissue. Not all rats fed the high fat diet rendered obese. It could be shown that in rats with higher lipid concentrations in the liver only the fatty acid pattern of liver phospholipids has been altered, while the composition of TG, which are the lipids primarily increased, was not changed.