Absorption of medium and long chain triglycerides: factors influencing their hydrolysis and transport.

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Abstract
Although recent clinical observations have indicated that medium chain triglycerides may be useful in malabsorptive states, little quantitative data are available regarding the rates of absorption of medium chain triglycerides as compared to long chain triglycerides. In the present investigation studies were carried out in which the intestinal hydrolysis and absorption of trioctanoin, a medium chain triglyceride, were compared with those of tripalmitin, a long chain triglyceride, under a variety of different experimental conditions. These studies were performed utilizing isolated intestinal loops in the rat. In addition to normal loops, irrigated loops were used so that studies could be carried out under conditions of diminished intraluminal lipolysis. The data obtained in our study indicate that trioctanoin is both hydrolyzed and absorbed more rapidly than tripalmitin; with markedly diminished intraluminal concentrations of pancreatic lipase and bile salts there is decreased absorption of both trioctanoin and tripalmitin, but under these conditions there is significantly less impairment in the absorption of trioctanoin; and after the administration of agents that inhibit protein synthesis, there is markedly impaired absorption of tripalmitin, but the effect on trioctanoin absorption is minimal.
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