title: Brain synaptosomal, liver, plasma, and red blood cell lipids in piglets fed exclusively on a vegetable-oil-containing formula with and without fish-oil supplements.
abstract: Clinical studies showed that a decrease in red blood cell 22:6n-3 caused by feeding infants formula (F) can be prevented by supplementation with fish oil (F + O). It is not known whether fish-oil supplementation is able to support normal accretion of fatty acids with greater than or equal to 20 carbons (LCPs) in the brain. Therefore piglets were fed exclusively F + O, F, or sow milk (SM) for 15 d and their liver and brain synaptosomal fatty acids were determined. Feeding F + O corrected the low n-3 LCP in the liver phospholipid (PL) and synaptosomal phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) of piglets fed F compared with SM. An apparent compensatory increase in n-6 LCPs in liver PL and synaptosomal PE of piglets fed F compared with SM was suppressed by feeding F + O. F + O also reduced the ratio of plasma PL 20:4n-6 to 20:5n-3, important for eicosanoid metabolism. Supplementation of F with n-3 LCPs as fish oil, without n-6 LCPs, at levels giving normal brain n-3 LCP, may alter n-6 LCP accretion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Foote
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hrboticky
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: MacKinnon
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Innis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000378:metabolism; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D004032:Diet; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000378:metabolism; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*; D005526:Food, Formulated; D008041:Linoleic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*; D013552:Swine; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005395:Fish Oils; D008041:Linoleic Acids; D008055:Lipids; D010743:Phospholipids; D010938:Plant Oils