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Effect of Maternal Essential Fatty Acid Supply on Fatty Acid Composition of Brain, Liver, Muscle and Serum in 21-day-old Rats¹

Department of Neurochemistry, Psychiatric Research Centre, University of Göteborg, Sweden

Two groups of Sprague-Dawley rats were raised on diets equal in protein, fat and carbohydrate concentrations, but with high (4.78 cal% of linoleate + linolenate) or low (0.74 cal% of linoleate + linolenate) essential fatty acid (EFA) concentration. The rats were fed the diets for more than two generations to establish an EFA equilibrium. The effects of the EFA concentration during gestation and lactation on lipid and fatty acid composition of the brain, compared with that of liver and muscle were studied in the offspring. The body weight was lower (P < 0.05) in the low EFA group. Brain weight and the concentrations of proteins and lipids studied were identical in the two groups with the exception of the concentration of cerebrosides, which was lower in the low EFA group (P < 0.05). The fatty acid patterns of brain lecithins, ethanolamine phosphoglycerides and total lipids were very similar in the two groups, and the only constant findings were significantly higher concentrations of 20:3(n – 9) and 22:5(n – 6) in the low EFA group. In contrast to brain, lecithin in liver, muscle and serum had notably lower concentrations of the fatty acids of the linoleic and linolenic series in the low EFA group, while 18:1 and 20:3(n – 9) were proportionally higher. The fatty acid patterns of triglycerides in adipose tissue and liver reflected the fatty acid composition of the maternal diets.

KEY WORDS: • essential fatty acids • lecithin • brain • liver • muscle • serum • adipose tissue • weanling rats

¹ Supported by a grant from the Swedish Medical Research Council (Project no: B71-13X-627-08A).

² Present address: Departamento de Quimica Biologica, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquimica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Manuscript received 9 December 1971.