title: Preferential accumulation of n-3 fatty acids in the brain of chicks from eggs enriched with n-3 fatty acids.
abstract: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is the major polyunsaturated fatty acid in the phospholipids of brain tissue. The extent to which maternal dietary n-3 fatty acid may influence the n-3 fatty acid composition of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) fractions of brain and liver tissue of progeny was investigated. Hens were fed diets containing n-9, n-3, or n-6 fatty acids. The brain tissue of the chicks from eggs enriched with n-3 fatty acids contained higher DHA, resulting in an increased C22:6 n-3:C20:4 n-6 ratio compared with chicks from eggs enriched with n-9 or n-6 fatty acids. Incorporation of C22:5 n-3, and C22:6 n-3 was mainly in the PE fraction as compared with the PC fraction of the chick brain. For chicks hatched from eggs enriched with n-9, n-3, and n-6 fatty acids, the total n-3 fatty acids in the brain PE fraction were 29.3, 41.3, and 21.9% compared with 6.7, 8.8, and 4.0% in the brain PC fraction. In contrast, the n-3 fatty acids increased evenly in phospholipid PC and PE fractions. Total amounts of PE in the brain lipids of chicks from eggs enriched with n-3 and n-6 fatty acids were 40.8 and 41.9% compared with 33.1% for chicks from eggs enriched with n-9 fatty acids. Analyses of the remaining yolk sac revealed a preferential absorption of DHA from the egg PE fraction by the developing chick.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cherian
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002645:Chickens / Q000378:metabolism*; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D010063:Ovum / Q000378:metabolism; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000378:metabolism; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines / Q000378:metabolism; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines; D014280:Triglycerides; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids