Abstract
The effects of diets containing 5 % of methyl-γ-linolenate (Δ 6, 9, 12) or 5 % of methyl-α-linolenate (Δ 9, 12, 15) on the fatty acid composition of lipids in rat plasma were studied. After 10 days the cholesterol esters and total phospholipids in the plasma of rats fed γ-linolenate contained higher percentages of arachidonic acid than the corresponding lipid classes in the plasma of rats fed the α-isomer. A fairly high percentage of γ-linolenic acid was incorporated into the cholesterol esters of rats fed methyl-γ-linolenate.