Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate if increasing maternal dietary linolenic aid (18:3n-3) content, by decreasing the 18:2n-6 to 18:3n-3 ratio, could increase the docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) content in phospholipids of neuronal cells of rat pups at 2 weeks of age. Sprague-Dawley dams at parturition were fed semipurified diets containing decreasing ratios of 18:2n-6 to 18:3n-3 from 21.6:1 to 1:1. During the first 2 weeks of life, the rat pups received only their dam's milk. The fatty acid composition of the pups stomach contents (dam's milk) and the phospholipids from neuronal cells were identified and quantitated by gas-liquid chromatography. The stomach 22:6n-3 content analyzed from the rat pups at 2 weeks of age was altered by the maternal diet. Fatty acid analysis of phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and phosphatidylserine (PS) in neuronal cells of the rat pups showed no significant increase in 22:6n-3 content with increasing 18:3n-3 in the maternal diet (p > 0.05). In contrast, the content of 22:6n-3 in phosphatidylinositol (PI) was significantly increased by change in dietary 18:3n-3 intake from a dietary 18:2n-6 to 18:3n-3 ratio of 7.8:1 to 4.4:1. It is concluded that increasing maternal dietary 18:3n-3 by decreasing the 18:2n-6 to 18:3n-3 ratio does not significantly increase the 22:6n-3 content in PC, PE, and PS in neuronal cells of rat pups at 2 weeks of age.
Similar content being viewed by others
Log in or create a free account to read this content
Gain free access to this article, as well as selected content from this journal and more on nature.com
or
Abbreviations
- PC:
-
phosphatidylcholine
- PE:
-
phosphatidylethanolamine
- PS:
-
phosphatidylserine
- PI:
-
phosphatidylinositol
References
Anderson RE, Benolken RM, Dudley PA, Landis DJ, Wheeler TG 1974 Polyunsaturated fatty acids of photoreceptor membranes. Exp Eye Res 18: 205–213.
Sinclair AJ, Crawford MA 1972 The accumulation of arachidonate and docosahexaenote in developing rat brain. Neurochem 19: 1753–1758.
Fliesler SJ, Anderson RE 1983 Chemistry and metabolism of lipids in the vertebrate retina. Prog Lipid Res 22: 79–131.
Kinsella JE, Lokesh B, Broughton S, Whelan JW 1990 Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and eicosanoids: potential effects on the modulation of inflammatory and immune cells: an overview. Nutrition 6: 24–44.
Sastry PS 1985 Lipids of nervous tissue: composition and metabolism. Prog Lipid Res 24: 69–176.
Stubbs CD, Smith AD 1984 The modification of mammalian membrane polyunsaturated fatty acid composition in relation to membrane fluidity and function. Biochim Biophys Acta 779: 89–137.
Clandinin MT, Chappell JE, Leong S, Heim T, Swyer PR, Chance GW 1980 Intrauterine fatty acid accretion rates in human brain: implications for fatty acid requirements. Early Hum Dev 4: 121–129.
Clandinin MT, Chappell JE, Leong S, Heim T, Swyer PR, Chance GW 1980 Extrauterine fatty acid accretion in infant brain: implications for fatty acid requirements. Early Hum Dev 4: 131–138.
Clandinin MT, Chappell JE, Swyer PR, Chance GW 1981 Fatty acid utilization in perinatal de novo synthesis of tissues. Early Hum Dev 5: 355–366.
Salem N Jr, Wegher B, Mena P, Uauy R 1996 Arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids are biosynthesized from their 18-carbon precursors in human infants. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 93: 49–54.
Clandinin MT, Chappell JE, Heim T 1982 Do low birth weight infants require nutrition with chain elongation-desaturation products of essential fatty acid?. Prog Lipid Res 20: 901–904.
Clandinin MT, Garg ML, Parrot A, Van Aerde JE, Hervada AR, Lien E 1992 Addition of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids to formula for very low birth weight infants. Lipids 27: 896–900.
Clandinin MT, Parrot A, van Aerde JE, Hervada AR, Lien E 1992 Feeding preterm infants a formula containing C20 and C22 fatty acids simulates plasma phospholipid fatty acid composition of infants fed human milk. Early Hum Dev 31: 41–51.
European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (ESPGAN) 1991 Comment on the content and composition of lipids in infant formulas. ESPGAN committee on nutrition. Acta Paediatr Scand 80: 887–896.
British Nutrition Foundation 1992 Recommendations for intakes of unsaturated fatty acids. The Report of the British Nutrition Foundation's Task Force. Chapman and Hall, New York, 152–163.
International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) 1994 Recommendations for the essential fatty acid requirements of infant formula. ISSFAL Newsletter 1: 4
FAO/WHO 1994 Fats and oils in human nutrition, report of a joint expert consultation, Chap. 7. In: Lipids in Early Development, Food and Nutrition Paper No. 57. FAO, Rome
Jumpsen JA, Lien E, Goh YK, Clandinin MT 1997 Diets varying in n-3 and n-6 fatty acid content produce differences in phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine fatty acid composition during development of neuronal and glial cells in rats. J Nutr 127: 724–731.
Woods J, Ward G, Salem N 1996 Is docosahexaenoic acid necessary in infant formula? Evaluation of high-linolenate diets in neonatal rat. Pediatr Res 40: 1–7.
Dyer JR, Greenwood CE 1991 Neural 22-carbon fatty acids in the weanling rat respond rapidly and specifically to a range of dietary linoleic to α-linolenic fatty acid ratios. J Neurochem 56: 1921–1931.
Clandinin MT, Yamashiro S 1980 Effects of basal diet composition on the incidence of dietary fat induced myocardial lesions. J Nutr 110: 1197–1203.
Sellinger OZ, Azcurra JM 1974 Bulk separation of neuronal cell bodies and glial cells in the absence of added digestive enzymes. In: Marks N, Rodnight R (eds) Research Methods in Neurochemistry. Plenum Press, New York, 3–38.
Folch J, Lees M, Sloane-Stanley GG 1957 A simple method for the isolation and purification of total lipids from animal tissues. J Biol Chem 226: 497–509.
Touchstone JC, Chen JC, Beaver KM 1980 Improved separation of phospholipids in thin-layer chromatography. Lipids 15: 61–62.
Morrison WR, Smith LM 1964 Preparation of fatty acid methyl esters and dimethylacetals from lipids with boron fluoride-methanol. J Lipid Res 5: 600–608.
Hargreaves KM, Clandinin MT 1987 Phosphatidylethanolamine methyltransferase: evidence for influence of diet fat on selectivity of substrate for methylation in rat brain synaptic plasma membrane. Biochim Biophys Acta 918: 97–105.
SAS Institute, Inc. SAS/STAT User's Guide Version 6.11 Edition. Cary NC: SAS Institute Inc., 1988
Steel RGD, Torrie JH 1960 Principles and Procedures of Statistics. McGraw-Hill, New York
Lien EL, Boyle FG, Yuhas RJ, Kuhlman CF 1994 Effect of maternal dietary arachidonic or linoleic acid on rat pup fatty acid profiles. Lipids 29: 53–59.
Nouvelot A, Bourre JM, Sezille G, Dewailly P, Jaillard J 1983 Changes in the fatty acid patterns of brain phospholipids during development of rats fed with peanut or rapeseed oil, taking into account difference between milk and maternal food. Ann Nutr Metab 27: 173–181.
Green P, Yavin E 1996 Fatty acid composition of late embryonic and early postnatal rat brain. Lipids 31: 859–865.
Bordoni A, Biagi PL, Turchetto E, Hrelia S 1988 Aging influence on Δ6 desaturase activity and fatty acid composition of rat liver microsomes. Biochem Int 17: 1001–1009.
Hrelia S, Bordoni A, Celadon M, Turchetto E, Biagi CA, Ross CA 1989 Age-related changes in linoleate and α-linolenate desaturation by rat liver microsomes. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 163: 348–355.
Ulmann L, Blond JP, Maniongui C, Poisson JP, Durand G, Bezard J, Pascal G 1991 Effects of age and essential fatty acids on desaturase activities and on fatty acid composition of liver microsomal phospholipids of adult rats. Lipids 26: 127–133.
Bourre JM, Piciotti M, Dumont O 1990 Δ6-desaturase in brain and liver during development and aging. Lipids 25: 354–356.
Stoffel W 1961 Biosynthesis of polyenoic fatty acids. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 6: 270–273.
Holloway DW, Peluffo R, Walkin SJ 1963 On the biosynthesis of dienoic fatty acid by animal tissues. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 12: 300–304.
Brenner RR 1971 The desaturation step in the animal biosynthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Lipids 6: 567–576.
Lands WEM 1960 Metabolism of glycerolipids. J Biol Chem 235: 2233–2237.
Berridge MJ 1984 Inositol triphosphate and diacylglycerol as second messengers. Biochem J 220: 345–360.
Epand RM, Lester DS 1990 The role of membrane biophysical properties in the regulation of protein kinase C. Science 233: 305–312.
Hokin LE 1985 Receptors and phosphoinositide-generated second messengers. Annu Rev Biochem 54: 205–235.
Wood JN 1986 Essential fatty acids and their metabolites in signal transduction. Biochem Soc Trans 18: 755–786.
Bolen EJ, Sando JJ 1991 Effect of phospholipid unsaturation on protein kinase C activation. Biochemistry 31: 5945–5951.
Sinclair AJ 1975 Incorporation of radioactive polyunsaturated fatty acids into liver and brain of developing rat. Lipids 10: 175–184.
Anderson J, Connor E, Corliss D 1990 Docosahexaenoic acid is the preferred dietary n-3 fatty acid for the development of the brain and retina. Pediatr Res 27: 89–97.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and Wyeth Nutritionals International.
Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2P5
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bowen, R., Wierzbicki, A. & Clandinin, M. Does Increasing Dietary Linolenic Acid Content Increase the Docosahexaenoic Acid Content of Phospholipids in Neuronal Cells of Neonatal Rats?. Pediatr Res 45, 815–819 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199906000-00006
Received:
Accepted:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199906000-00006
This article is cited by
-
Beyond building better brains: bridging the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) gap of prematurity
Journal of Perinatology (2015)
-
High dietary 18∶3n−3 increases the 18∶3n−3 but not the 22∶6n−3 content in the whole body, brain, skin, epididymal fat pads, and muscles of suckling rat pups
Lipids (2000)
