Glycerolipid metabolism in lung from ventilated and unventilated rabbits.

The incorporation of [14C]-glycerol 3-phosphate and [3H]-palmitate into phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and triacylglycerols by lung microsomes from ventilated and unventilated rabbits was measured. Unventilated lung microsomes showed an impairment of the "de novo" synthesis of phosphatidic acid and, therefore, a general decrease of glycerolipids synthesized from glycerol 3-phosphate. The incorporation of [3H]-palmitate into phosphatidic acid was considerably lower than the incorporation of [14C]-glycerol 3-phosphate by lung microsomes from both ventilated and unventilated rabbits, and the 3H/14C molar ratio did not change during incubation time. These observations suggest the preferential utilization of endogenous fatty acids by acyltransferases involved in the formation of phosphatidic acid. The activities of the enzymes implicated in the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine from lysophosphatidylcholine remained unchanged in lung from both ventilated and unventilated rabbits.