Differential effects of triacylglycerol positional isomers containing n-3 series highly unsaturated fatty acids on lipid metabolism in C57BL/6J mice

The present study investigated the effects of binding position of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to triacylglycerol (TAG) on lipid metabolism in C57BL/6J mice. Mice were treated with pure TAG positional isomers, including 1,2(2,3)-dipalmitoyl-3(1)-eicosapentaenoyl glycerol, 1,3-dipalmitoyl-2-eicosapentaenoyl glycerol, 1,2(2,3)-dipalmitoyl-3(1)-docosahexaenoyl glycerol, and 1,3-dipalmitoyl-2-docosahexaenoyl glycerol. Compared to DHA bound to the α-position of TAG, DHA bound to the β-position more effectively inhibited fatty acid synthetic enzymes and cholesterol-metabolism enzymes and thus reduced TAG and cholesterol concentrations in the serum and liver. EPA bound to the α-position of TAG, but not EPA bound to the β-position of TAG, significantly decreased hepatic cholesterol concentrations. Additionally, EPA bound to the α-position of TAG increased the ratio of PGI2 to TXA2 to a higher degree than EPA bound to the β-position. These results suggested that the binding position of EPA and DHA to TAG affected TAG and cholesterol metabolism as well as eicosanoid production in C57BL/6J mice.