1979 Volume 76 Issue 5 Pages 1104-1115
In the pathogenesis of malabsorption of lipids, the impairment of the intramucosal reesterification to triglyceride has been yet unknown.
Since 1968, the effect of aging on digestion and absorption of fats has been studied clinically by our group. We found no abnormal results in the fat digestion-absorption tests but a little elevation of fecal fat excretion ratios in the aged around seventies and eighties.
In the rat everted sac studies, the mucosal uptake of 14C-palmitate is low in the aged compared with the juvenile, and a slow down of reesterification to triglyceride is demon-strated by the analysis of thin layer chromatography.
Furthermore, the activity of acyl-CoA: monoglyceride acyltransferase, one of the lipid-reesterifying enzymes in the small intestine, is significantly reduced in the aged rats. The activity of this enzyme is also reduced in the elderly people.
Thus, it is suggested that the impairment of intramucosal reesterification significantly contributed to the malabsorption of fat produced by aging.
Nippon Shokakibyo Gakkai Zasshi
Nippon Shokakibyo Gakkai Zasshi Kou
