Oxidation and accumulation of sucrose polyesters after i.v. application in rats (Short communication)

Polyester of sucrose and longchain fatty acids (SPE) are prototyps of unabsorbable compounds with fatlike physico‐chemical properties [1, 2]. Their application leads to an increase of fecal cholesterol excretion, which is accompanied by a significant stimulation of the cholesterol synthesis in the liver and partly by a reduction of the lipid level in serum [3, 4]. SPE are consequently potential substitutes for dietary fats in food‐stoffs to reduce energy intake and the serum lipid level [5, 6]. Earlier animal experiments with 6% 14C‐labelled sucrose‐octa‐palmitate in a semisynthetic diet, however, outlined a very small but not neglectable accumulation rate of 10−3–10−5% in various organs after a feeding time of 7 days or 3 and 6 weeks, respectively [7, 8]. Because nothing is known about metabolic fate of incorporated SPE the study aimed at the elucidation of the metabolic behaviour of SPE after i.v. injection to mimic a higher accumulation rate.