The incorporation of(14)C-glycerol into different species of diglycerides and triglycerides in rat liver slices.

The relative rates of de novo synthesis of species of diglycerides and triglycerides from(14)C-glycerol were examined in rat liver slices. Diglycerides containing one or two double bonds per molecule and triglycerides containing four or more double bonds per molecule represented 70% and 60% respectively of the newly synthesized diglycerides and triglycerides. The newly synthesized triglycerides were more unsaturated than the endogenous triglycerides. Our results suggest that a nonrandom synthesis of species of diglycerides occurred followed by an almost random utilization of the various diglyceride species for the biosynthesis of triglycerides.