After entering the bloodstream, chylomicrons travel to which tissues before delivering remnants to the liver?

• A. Bone, heart, and adipose tissue
• B. Brain and muscles
• C. Bone, heart, adipose tissue, and then liver
• D. Lungs

Answer: (C)

After a fat-containing meal, chylomicrons enter the bloodstream and travel to tissues that have lipoprotein lipase on their capillary beds. The primary sites where they unload triglycerides are adipose tissue, which stores fatty acids, and cardiac/skeletal muscle, which uses fatty acids for energy. Once most of the triglycerides are delivered, the chylomicron remnant is taken up by the liver via apoE receptors. So the sequence is delivery to heart (muscle) and adipose tissue first, then the remnants return to or are delivered to the liver.