Maternal diet with diverse omega-6/omega-3 ratio affects the brain docosahexaenoic acid content of growing chickens.
Eggs with diverse omega-6/omega-3 ratio produced by feeding breeder hens a wheat-soybean meal-basal diet containing 5% (wt/wt) sunflower oil (H(omega)6), 5% fish oil (H(omega)3) or 2.5% sunflower oil plus 2.5% fish oil (M(omega)3omega6) were incubated. The hatched chicks were fed a docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-deficient diet up to 6 weeks of age. The fatty acid composition of chick brain was determined on 0, 2, 4 and 6 weeks and brain weight was taken on day 0 and day 42. The omega-6/omega-3 ratios were 37.12, 4.21 and 0.98 for the maternal diet; 28.36, 2.83 and 0.89 for the egg yolk; 1.94, 0.48 and 0.18 for hatched chick brain (p < 0.05). At 2 weeks of age, the omega-6/omega-3 ratios were 1.88, 0.81 and 0.60 for chicks hatched from hens fed H(omega)6, M(omega)3omega6 and H(omega)3 diets, respectively. The brain DHA contents at 0 and 2 weeks of age were Homega3 > M(omega)3omega6 < H(omega)6 (p < 0.05) and at 4 and 6 weeks of age H(omega)3 = M(omega)3omega6 > H(omega)6. Dietary C18:3omega3 in the starter and finisher diet did not increase brain DHA (p > 0.05). The significant increase in the content of C22:5omega3 at 6 weeks of age in group 1 birds with a concomitant reduction in DHA suggests a weak delta-4 desaturation but an effective delta-6 and delta-5 desaturation similar to human infants. Considering the role of DHA in early brain development and growth, the maternal supply of DHA during growth might be of importance when fed a DHA-deficient neonatal diet.
Ajuyah
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AO
Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada.
Wang
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Sunwoo
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Cherian
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Sim
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D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002642:Chick Embryo / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D002645:Chickens / Q000254:growth & development*; D004032:Diet; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000032:analysis; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6 / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D009929:Organ Size
D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids