Competing pathways in the formation of alkyl, alk-1-enyl and acyl moieties in the lipids of mammalian tissues.

The distribution of radioactivity from intravenously administered cis-9[1-14C]octadecenol into various tissues of the rat was studied as a function of time. The pattern of incorporation of radioactivity into alkyl, alk-1-enyl and acyl moieties of the lipids in heart, lungs, liver, intestine, kidney, brain and plasma revealed that oxidation of the long-chain alcohol and esterification of the resulting fatty acid to a wide variety of lipids are by far the most predominant reactions. Acylation of the long-chain alcohol is observed especially in liver, which appears to be the major site of biosynthesis of wax esters. Alkylation of the long-chain alcohol to alkoxylipids occurs in most tissues, most predominantly in the heart.