Function of Pancreatic Juice in Fat Utilization in the Rat

¹ From the Department of Clinical Science, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois

Tripalmitin, a saturated, and triolein, an unsaturated fat, and their respective fatty acids were fed at a level of 8% by dry weight of the diet to 12 sham operated control and 12 pancreatic duct ligated rats. It was found that exclusion of pancreatic juice significantly decreased the utilization of both triolein and tripalmitin. Thus, the pancreatic juice is essential for the utilization of both saturated and unsaturated fat. It was found also that exclusion of pancreatic juice did not influence the absorption of oleic and palmitic acid. Therefore, it is concluded that pancreatic alkali does not exert any significant effect on the absorption of fatty acid in the amounts fed whether saturated or unsaturated, and that pancreatic lipase and/or the facilitation by pancreatic alkali of the hydrolysis of fat by any lipase present in the intestine is the factor (or factors) in pancreatic juice which is essential for the complete utilization of both saturated and unsaturated fat. The observed decrease in the utilization of tripalmitin produced by the exclusion of pancreatic juice was not larger than the decrease in the utilization of triolein; therefore, it is concluded that a desaturation of fat by a pancreatic dehydrogenase is not essential for the absorption of saturated fat.