title: Effects of dietary n-3 fatty acid-enriched chicken eggs on plasma and tissue cholesterol and fatty acid composition of rats.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of feeding n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-enriched chicken eggs on plasma and liver cholesterol levels and fatty acid composition in rats. Eggs were collected from laying hens fed diets containing 10% flax seed (Hn-3), 12% sunflower seed (Hn-6), or wheat and soybean meal control (CON). Yolk powders were prepared and fed at the 15% level to weanling female Sprague-Dawley rats for 28 days. Consumption of n-3 PUFA-enriched yolks significantly reduced both plasma and liver total cholesterol. Liver total lipids and phospholipids of rats fed Hn-3 diet were enriched with linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acids with a concomitant reduction of arachidonic acid in liver phospholipids. The plasma cholesterol of rats fed yolk powders enriched with n-6 PUFA (mainly linoleic acid) was reduced to the same extent as in those fed the n-3 enriched, but the liver cholesterol was significantly increased, indicating differential effects of dietary n-3 and n-6 PUFA. The results demonstrated that the cholesterolemic and tissue lipid modulating properties of chicken eggs could be modified in a favorable way by altering the fatty acid composition of yolk lipids through manipulation of laying hen diets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Sim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D004530:Egg Yolk / Q000737:chemistry; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D002784:Cholesterol