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Fig. 4 | Nutrition & Metabolism

Fig. 4

From: Retroconversion is a minor contributor to increases in eicosapentaenoic acid following docosahexaenoic acid feeding as determined by compound specific isotope analysis in rat liver

Fig. 4

Representation of theoretical carbon flow influencing 13C enrichment of EPA in the ALA + DHA diet. [1] Elongation and desaturation of dietary ALA (−28.22‰), [2] retroconversion of dietary DHA (−22.30‰), [3] 2 carbons via acetyl-CoA provided from glycolysis (−12 to −16‰) for elongation of ALA, [4] slower elongation/desaturation of EPA to DHA, [5] preferential β-oxidation of lighter 12C isotopes from EPA and additional EPA metbaolism. ALA – α-linolenic acid, 18:3n-3; DHA – docosahexaenoic acid, 22:6n-3; EPA – eicosapentaenoic acid, 20:5n-3

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Nutrition & Metabolism

ISSN: 1743-7075

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