Metabolism of Unesterified Fatty Acids (UFA) in Normal Dogs

¹ From the Department of Physiology, Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The source and disappearance of plasma UFA were studied in normal dogs by simultaneous lipid determinations in blood samples from the femoral artery, femoral vein, portal vein and hepatic vein. Marked and consistent veno-arterial and frequent portal vein-arterial differences were found indicating UFA liberation in the leg and in the abdominal region, due to either lipolysis or mobilization from fat depots. Differences between UFA content of the portal and hepatic veins and of the portal vein and femoral artery were also consistent, showing uptake of UFA by the liver. The abdominal region also took up UFA frequently as indicated by arterial-portal differences. Similar changes were not detectable in triglycerides, total and free cholesterols and phospholipids.