title: Femur EPA and DHA are correlated with femur biomechanical strength in young fat-1 mice.
abstract: Evidence suggests that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are beneficial for maintenance of bone health and possibly bone development. This study used the fat-1 mouse, a transgenic model that synthesizes n-3 PUFA from n-6 PUFA, to determine if outcomes of bone health were correlated with n-3 PUFA in femurs. Control and fat-1 mice were fed an AIN-93G diet containing 10% safflower oil from weaning through 12 weeks of age. Femur bone mineral content (BMC) and density were determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and biomechanical strength properties, surrogate measures of fracture risk, were measured by a materials testing system. Femur fatty acid composition was determined by gas chromatography. At 12 weeks of age, femur n-3 PUFA were higher among fat-1 mice compared to control mice. The n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio in the femur was negatively correlated with BMC (r=-.57, P=.01) and peak load at femur midpoint (r=-.53, P=.02) and femur neck (r=-.52, P=.02). Moreover, long-chain n-3 PUFA, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid were significantly and positively correlated or displayed a trend suggesting positive correlations, with BMC and peak load. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggest that n-3 PUFA have a favorable effect on mineral accumulation and functional measures of bone in fat-1 mice at young adulthood.
authors: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
authors: Beatrice Y Y
authors: BY
authors: Lau
authors: Wendy E
authors: WE
authors: Ward
authors: Jing X
authors: JX
authors: Kang
authors: David W L
authors: DW
authors: Ma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; C466741:fat-1 protein, C elegans; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases