Desaturation and chain elongation of n - 3 and n - 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the human CaCo-2 cell line
Human CaCo-2 cells were incubated with [14C]linoleic (18:2(n - 6)), [14C]linolenic (18:3(n - 3)) and [3H]eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5(n - 3)), and the interconversion of the radioactive fatty acids to higher homologues and their acylation into triacylglycerols (TG) and phospholipids were examined. An active conversion of [14C]18:3 to [14C]20:5 and [14C]docosapentaenoic acid (22:5(n - 3)) and of [3H