Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) have recently
attracted significant attention because of their
health benefits in a variety of models of metabolic
and chronic inflammatory diseases. Among the
many CLA isomers, c9t11 CLA has received the
most attention because of its recognized health
benefits as a cancer chemopreventive (Kennedy
et al., 2010; Crumb 2011). The c9t11CLA is
synthesized either in the rumen as an intermediate
during the biohydrogenation of linoleic
and linolenic acids (Harfoot and Hazlewood,
1987; Lee and Jenkins, 2011) or in tissues by
Δ-9 desaturase from vaccenic acid (t11 C18:1;
VA), another important intermediate in ruminal