The regulation mechanism of α-linolenic acid bioavailability by flaxseed lignan macromolecules in O/W emulsions

Enhanced α-linolenic acid (ALA) intake effectively alleviates population sub-health status through dietary pattern modification, demonstrating substantial implications for promoting national health advancement. In this study, the multi-targeted regulation on ALA micellization, absorption, and lymphatic transport by natural flaxseed lignan macromolecules (FLM) and its thermal treatment products (FLM 150) was systematically investigated in an emulsion delivery system. In vitro Caco-2 transport assays revealed that ALA absorption was enhanced by 95% with the addition of FLM 150. Moreover, in vivo rat mesenteric lymph cannulation proved that FLM 150-enriched emulsion elevated ALA absorption by 493%, while significantly reducing lipid oxidation. Besides, lipidomic profiling indicated that FLM 150 enhanced triglyceride resynthesis during lipid resynthesis in intestinal epithelial cells, as well as promoted metabolism of ALA. Therefore, these findings established FLM 150 as a multi-target regulator optimizing ALA bioavailability through concurrent mucosal barrier reinforcement, oxidative stress mitigation, and lipid metabolic pathway redirection. These insights highlighted the potential of engineered emulsion systems to lipid absorption kinetics and intestinal metabolic outcomes, offering novel strategies for enhancing the bioavailability of ALA.