Fig. 7. Consumption of a high-fat dietary lipid load stimulates enterocyte production of unique lipid species.
A high lipid influx from the diet increases the availability of FA lipid substrate in the lumen of the small intestine. This leads to an elevated accumulation of intracellular ceramides and sphingomyelins in the enterocytes lining the small intestine. Glycerolipid, glycerophospholipid, and sphingolipid lipid families within the chylomicron lipidome are notably altered as a result of increased enterocytic lipid flux, and pathogenic C16:0 ceramides are elevated in the obese chylomicron independent of sphingomyelin lipids. C16:0 ceramide–rich chylomicrons exit the lymphatics and are circulated around the body via the venous circulation for lipid/nutrient delivery to peripheral tissues.