title: Maternal Fish Oil Supplementation Affects the Social Behavior, Brain Fatty Acid Profile, and Sickness Response of Piglets.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Maternal dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake is thought to affect development in the offspring.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We assessed the impact of maternal dietary DHA on behavior, brain fatty acid (FA) profile, and sickness response of offspring in pigs, a pertinent model for human nutrition.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sows (n = 24) were fed a diet with DHA-rich fish oil (FO) (20 g/kg) or high-oleic acid sunflower oil (HOSF) (20 g/kg) from day 61 of gestation through lactation. At 4 wk of age, 4 piglets per litter were weaned and mixed with piglets from other litters. Behavior was observed in 4- to 8-wk-old piglets, and brain FA composition was analyzed at 4 (n = 15) and 14 (n = 12) wk. Thirteen-week-old piglets (n = 48) were subjected to a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Body temperature, plasma cytokines, and motivation to approach a familiar human, indicative of a sickness response, were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FO-fed pigs displayed more social activities (+262%, P = 0.02), played more (+61%, P = 0.03), and tended to show fewer oral manipulative behaviors directed at pen mates (-25%, P = 0.06) than did HOSF-fed pigs up to 4 wk after weaning. Brain DHA concentrations were higher in FO- than in HOSF-fed pigs up to 10 wk after supplementation (+10-50%, P < 0.001), although differences declined with age. Body temperature (P < 0.001) and tumor necrosis factor α and interferon γ concentrations (P < 0.05) increased after LPS injection, but no diet effect was found (P > 0.10). LPS-treated pigs were less likely to approach the human than saline-treated pigs in the HOSF-fed (-29%, P = 0.0003), but not in the FO-fed group (-13%, P = 0.11).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Maternal DHA beneficially affected offspring social behavior after weaning and mildly attenuated sickness behavior after an inflammatory challenge in pigs. These behavioral changes may be mediated by increased brain DHA proportions.
authors.affiliation: Adaptation Physiology Group and.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5562-6057
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Clouard
authors.affiliation: Adaptation Physiology Group and Animal Nutrition Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Adriana S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: Animal Nutrition Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Walter Jj
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Gerrits
authors.affiliation: Animal Nutrition Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hovenier
authors.affiliation: Adaptation Physiology Group and.
authors.forename: Aart
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lammers
authors.affiliation: Adaptation Physiology Group and liesbeth.bolhuis@wur.nl.
authors.forename: J Elizabeth
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bolhuis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D055809:Illness Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D007774:Lactation / Q000187:drug effects; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011247:Pregnancy; D012919:Social Behavior; D000074242:Sunflower Oil; D013552:Swine; D014886:Weaning
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D005395:Fish Oils; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D010938:Plant Oils; D000074242:Sunflower Oil; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids
keywords: brain fatty acids; cytokines; docosahexaenoic acid; perinatal nutrition; weaning