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Oleic Acid (18:1) in Plasma, Liver and Brain Myelin Lipid of Piglets Fed from Birth with Formulas Differing in 18:1 Content^{1 ,2}

Department of Human Nutrition ^* Department of Paediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4H4

Recent studies have shown reduced 18:1 fatty acids in brain total lipid of piglets fed formula with 17% 18:1 fatty acids rather than sow milk providing 37% 18:1. Because 18:1 is a major fatty acid in brain myelin lipid and is rapidly deposited during myelination, it is important to know if this reflects deposition of myelin lipid containing reduced 18:1 and/or delayed myelination, or is related to changes in other brain membranes. Therefore, these studies determined the myelin total lipid, phosphatidylethanolamine and plasma and liver phospholipid fatty acids in piglets fed from birth to 15 d with formula containing (g/100 g fatty acids): 18:1, 17 and 18:3(n-3), 0.8; 18:1, 38 and 18:3(n-3), 0.6 fatty acids; or 18:1, 40 and 18:3(n-3), 4; or sow milk. Different levels of formula 18:3(n-3) fatty acids were studied because of the known effect of essential fatty acid deficiency on myelination. The brain 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphohydrolase (CNPase) activity and cerebroside concentration were also determined and used as indicators of myelination. Piglets fed the low 18:1 formula had lower 18:1 fatty acids in their plasma and liver phospholipid than sow milk-fed piglets. Formula providing a similar level of 18:1 to sow milk resulted in higher 18:1 fatty acids in the piglet plasma and liver phospholipid than in the sow milk-fed piglets. The brain myelin monoenoic fatty acids, CNPase activity and cerebroside concentration were similar in sow milk- and formula-fed piglets, irrespective of the formula 18:1 or 18:3(n-3) content. These studies suggest that the formula 18:1 supply in similar quantity to natural milk is not essential to normal accretion of 18:1 fatty acids in brain myelin.

KEY WORDS: • infant formula • oleic acid • myelin • piglets • milk

¹ Supported by a grant from the Medical Research Council of Canada (MRC-Industry Award). F.M.R. is supported by the British Columbia Children's Hospital, Research Division, Studentship. S.M.I. is a career investigator supported by British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Division.

² Presented in part at the 81st Annual Meeting of the American Oil Chemists' Society, April 1990, Baltimore, MD [Rioux, F. M., Arbuckle, L. D. & Innis, S. M. (1990) Effect of monoenes fatty acids in infant formula on myelin lipids of the developing piglet].

³ To whom correspondence and reprint requests should be addressed.

Manuscript received 28 August 1991. Revision accepted 25 March 1992.