On the biologic origin of C6-C10-dicarboxylic and C6-C10-omega-1-hydroxy monocarboxylic acids in human and rat with acyl-CoA dehydrogenation deficiencies: in vitro studies on the omega- and omega-1-oxidation of medium-chain (C6-C12) fatty acids in human and rat liver.

C6-C10-dicarboxylic acid C6-C10-omega-1-hydroxy monocarboxylic acids were measured in postmitochondrial (10,000 g) fractions of rat liver after incubation with hexanoic, octanoic, and decanoic acids. In livers both from fed and starved rats, the proportion of decanoic acid converted to sebacic acid was high (approximately 25%) with only minor accumulation of the intermediate 10-hydroxy decanoic acid (1-2%). The conversion of octanoic and hexanoic acids to suberic and adipic acids, respectively, was low (less than 1%). The intermediate 8-hydroxy octanoic and 6-hydroxy hexanoic acids were also accumulated in very small amounts (less than 1%). It was concluded that cytochrome-P-450-mediated omega-hydroxylation was of decisive importance for the production rate of the dicarboxylic acids. Analysis of kinetic parameters of human and rat liver microsomal omega- and omega-1-hydroxylation of hexanoic, octanoic, decanoic, and dodecanoic acids gave the following results: in rats, the apparent Km values for the omega-hydroxylation for dodecanoic and decanoic acids are low, ie., 171 and 3.1 mumole/liter, respectively, whereas they are high for octanoic and hexanoic acids (8211 and 8822 mumole/liter, respectively). In two different humans, the corresponding Km values for dodecanoic, decanoic, octanoic, and hexanoic acids are 3.6-186, 522-247, 4861-3892, and 6825-10400 mumole/liter, respectively. Based on these results, it is argued that adipic and suberic acids found in urine from rats and humans with acyl-CoA dehydrogenation deficiencies are not biosynthesized by direct omega-oxidation of hexanoic and octanoic acids, but most probably by means of beta-oxidation of sebacic and dodecanedioic acids, produced by direct omega-oxidation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)