The metabolism of 18∶0 and 18∶2(n−6) by the ovine placenta at 120 and 150 days of gestation

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Abstract
The effects of the approach of parturition in the, sheep on the incorporation of 18∶0 and 18∶2(n−6) into the placental lipids and on the activities of the Δ9- and Δ6-desaturase enzymes of placental tissue have been studied in vitro. The incorporation of 18∶0 into the esterified lipids of placental tissue between the 120th and 150th days of gestation declined markedly; the high level of incorporation of 18∶2(n−6) into the esterified lipids of the placenta (some 2-fold higher than18∶0) remained constant over the gestational period. While placental Δ9-desaturase activity was the same at 150 days as at 120 days of gestation, the activity of the Δ6-desaturase enzyme increased significantly. These results are discussed in relation to the fetal demand for fatty acids near term and the differences that exist between the mechanisms of maternal-fetal transfer of 18∶0 and 18∶2(n−6) in the sheep.