Effects of an n-3-deficient diet on brain, retina, and liver fatty acyl composition in artificially reared rats

• Published in: Journal of lipid research Vol. 45; no. 8; pp. 1437 - 1445
• Main Authors: Moriguchi, Toru, Lim, Sun-Young, Greiner, Rebecca, Lefkowitz, William, Loewke, James, Hoshiba, Junji, Salem, Norman
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.08.2004; Elsevier
• Subjects: Age Factors; alpha-Linolenic Acid - deficiency; alpha-Linolenic Acid - metabolism; Animals; Arachidonic Acid - metabolism; artificial rearing; Brain - metabolism; dietary fat; Dietary Fats - metabolism; docosahexaenoic acid; Docosahexaenoic Acids - metabolism; docosapentaenoic acid; essential fatty acids; fat deficiencies; fatty acid composition; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated - metabolism; Gastrointestinal Contents; Liver - metabolism; nutrient deficiencies; omega-3 fatty acids; Rats; Retina - metabolism; artificial rearing; docosahexaenoic acid; fatty acid composition; docosapentaenoic acid
• ISSN: 0022-2275; 1539-7262
• DOI: 10.1194/jlr.M400087-JLR200

Rat pups born to dams fed a diet with 3.1% of total fatty acids as α-linolenic acid (LNA) were fed, using an artificial rearing system, either an n-3-deficient (n-3-Def) or an n-3-adequate (n-3-Adq) diet. Both diets contained 17.1% linoleic acid, but the n-3-Adq diet also contained 3.1% LNA. The percentage of brain docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) continuously decreased (71%) with time over the 29 days of the experiment, with concomitant increases in docosapentaenoic acid (DPAn-6). In the retina, the percentage of DHA rose in the n-3-Adq group, with an apparent increased rate around the time of eye opening. However, there was a flat curve for the percentage of DHA in the n-3-Def group and a rising DPAn-6 with time. Liver DHA was highest at the time of birth in the n-3-Adq group but fell off somewhat over the course of 29 days. This decrease was more pronounced in the n-3-Def group, and the DPAn-6 rose considerably during the second half of the experiment. This method presents a first-generation model for n-3 deficiency that is more similar to the case of human nutrition than is the commonly employed two-generation model.