Metabolic Turnover of Fatty Acids and Acylglycerols in Rat Sciatic Nerve

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Abstract
To explain the discrepancy between the low level and high metabolic activity of endoneurial free fatty acids (FFAs) and triacylglycerol (TG), levels of de novo synthesized FFa and acylglycerols were measured in rat sciatic endoneurium at various intervals after endoneurial microinjection of [14C]acetate. Soon after injection (< 10 min), the [14C]acetate was metabolized to FFA and incorporated into diacylglycerol (DG), TG, sterols, ceramides and various phospholipids. The proportions of 14C-labeled FFA, DG, TG and ceramides to total 14C-labeled lipids decreased; those of phospholipids and cerebrosides increased with time after injection. Rapid turnover of FFA and TG may contribute to their low level in sciatic endoneurium. The de novo synthesized fatty acids were largely incorporated into phosphatidylcholine (.apprx. 50% of total 14C-labeled phospholipids), probably via the cytidine nucleotide pathway using 1.2-DG as a metabolic intermediate. Hydrolysis of [14C]phosphatidylcholine revealed that fatty acids were labeled at the C-1, (.apprx. 43%) and C-2 (.apprx. 57%) positions. A temporal association between decreased amounts of 14C-label in ceramides and increased amounts of 14C-label in sphingomyelin and galactocerebrosides supports the hypothesis that peripheral nerve galactocerebroside is derived, in vivo, from ceramide via acylation of sphingosine. This exclusive labeling of endoneurial lipids by endoneurial microinjection of labeled precursor provides a unique model for studying synthesis and metabolic turnover of membrane lipids in experimental neuropathies.