Relationship of phosphatidylcholine to hydrophobic surfactant on rat intestinal chylomicron secretion

Hydrophobic surfactants such as Poloxalene inhibit triglyceride secretion into lymph by enterocytes. The inhibitory effect of these agents on triglyceride secretion is reversed when lipid presented for absorption is exclusively in the form of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and not triglyceride. The present investigation performed in conscious mesenteric lymph fistula rats was designed to determine whether various mixtures of triglyceride and PC given intraduodenally with Poloxalene would also reverse the inhibitory effect of Poloxalene on triglyceride secretion into lymph. A 50–50 mixture of triolein (TO) and PC resulted in normal triglyceride secretion into lymph. However, when the mixture of lipids was 75-25, TO to PC, results for triglyceride recovery in lymph were considerably reduced. The transport rate for triglyceride into lymph was not as depressed, however, as observed for Poloxalene treated rats given lipid for absorption basically in the triglyceride form. Substitution of phosphatidylethanolamine for PC had no beneficial effect on triglyceride secretion in Poloxalene treated rats. It is concluded that PC can reverse the inhibitory effect of Poloxalene on triglyceride secretion into lymph even when considerable amounts of triglyceride along with PC are presented for absorption.