title: Reproductive long-term effects, endocrine response and fatty acid profile of rabbit does fed diets supplemented with n-3 fatty acids.
abstract: The effect of a diet enriched with polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids (PUFA) on endocrine, reproductive, and productive responses of rabbit females and the litters has been studied. Nulliparous does (n=125) were fed ad libitum from rearing to second weaning two diets supplemented with different fat sources: 7.5g/kg lard for the control diet (group C; n=63) or 15g/kg of a commercial supplement containing a 50% ether extract and 35% of total fatty acids (FAs) as PUFA n-3 (Group P; n=62). Dietary treatments did not affect apparent digestibility coefficients of nutrients, or reproductive variables of does including milk production, mortality and average daily gain of kits over two lactations. However, on Day 5 and 7 post-induction of ovulation, progesterone of Group P tended to increase to a greater extent than in does of Group C. Total PUFAs, n-6 and n-3 and eicosapentanoic (EPA) contents were greater in adipose tissues of does in Group P than in Group C. Docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) concentrations were greater in peri-ovarian than in scapular fat with abdominal fat being intermediate in concentration. In PUFA supplemented does, kit mortality at the second parturition tended to be less than in control does. Also, kits born to does of the PUFA-supplemented group weighed more and were of greater length than from does of control group. In conclusion, effectiveness of dietary intervention on reproductive and performance response is greater in the second parity, which suggests an accumulative long-term beneficial effect of n-3 FA supplementation in reproductive rabbit does.
authors.affiliation: Dpt. Producción Animal. ETSI Agrónomos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: pilar.grebollar@upm.es.
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Rebollar
authors.affiliation: Dpt. Fisiología (Fisiología Animal), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: García-García
authors.affiliation: Dpt. Producción Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Ciudad Universitaria, s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arias-Álvarez
authors.affiliation: Dpt. Fisiología (Fisiología Animal), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Millán
authors.affiliation: Dpt. Producción Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Ciudad Universitaria, s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Rey
authors.affiliation: Dpt. Fisiología (Fisiología Animal), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Dpt. Fisiología (Fisiología Animal), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Formoso-Rafferty
authors.affiliation: Dpt. Fisiología (Fisiología Animal), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: de la Riva
authors.affiliation: Dpt. Fisiología (Fisiología Animal), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masdeu
authors.affiliation: Dpt. Fisiología (Fisiología Animal), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Lorenzo
authors.affiliation: Dpt. Producción Animal. ETSI Agrónomos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: García-Rebollar
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis*; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation / Q000187:drug effects; D008098:Litter Size / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D011817:Rabbits / Q000502:physiology*; D050497:Stillbirth
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3
keywords: DHA; EPA; LH; Productivity; Progesterone; Rabbits