Branched-chain fatty acids in lipids of the newly born lamb

Abstract

The fatty acid compositions of the lipids of wool, carcass, liver, brain, and perirenal fat of two newly born lambs have been determined. The fatty acids from the lipids of carcass and internal organs of the lambs contained 0.2% of branched-chain acids, compared with 3% of branched acids in the depot fat of an adult sheep. This observation is presumed to reflect the low permeability of the placenta to maternal lipids. On the other hand, the fatty acid and α-hydroxy acid fractions from the wool wax of the lambs contained 62 and 44% of branched-chain acids respectively, compared with 80 and 54% of branched acids in the corresponding fractions from the wool wax of adult sheep. Since the rate of production of wool wax in the fetal lamb is as great as in the adult, relative to wool production, the results suggest that the branched acids are the product of the sebaceous glands.