Digestion,Absorption and Metabolism of Chimyl Alcohol Fed as Free Alcohol or as Alkoxydiglyceride. ∗

Summary

1. C¹⁴-labelled chimyl alcohol (α:-/1-C¹⁴/-hexadecylglyceryl ether) has been fed as free chimyl alcohol or as chimyl dioleate to rats. Intestinal contents and thoracic duct lymph lipids have been analyzed and expired CO₂ has been collected. 2. Mixed ether-glycerides have been isolated from the intestinal contents after feeding free chimyl alcohol dissolved in olive oil, indicating a synthesis of new glyceride ester bonds. 3. Free labelled chimyl alcohol has been isolated from the intestinal contents after feeding labelled chimyl dioleate indicating an exchange and release of fatty acids in both 1-, and 2-position in the mixed ether-glyceride. 4. In lymph lipids more than half the radioactivity was associated with palmitic acid, indicating a splitting of the ether bond in mucosa cells. 5. It is concluded that chimyl alcohol can be absorbed unchanged but that it is extensively metabolized already in the mucosa cells, whether it is fed as free chimyl alcohol or as an alkoxydiglyceride.