![]() |
|
|
Institut für Ernährungswissenschaften, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Emil-Abderhaldenstraße 26, D-06108 Halle/Saale, Germany and * Institut für Biochemie und Lebensmittelchemie, Universität Hamburg, Grindelallee 117, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany
2To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: eder{at}landw.uni-halle.de.
Recent studies showed that conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) lower triacylglycerol concentrations in the milk of lactating animals. This study was performed to determine the reasons for this phenomenon; we also investigated whether there is a relation between altered lipid metabolism in the liver and the reduction in milk triacylglycerols in rats fed CLA. Two groups of female rats were fed diets containing 0 [sunflower oil (SFO) group] or 14.7 g/kg diet of a CLA mixture (CLA group) at the expense of sunflower oil during growth, pregnancy, and lactation. CLA-fed rats had 49 and 80% lower mRNA concentration and activity of fatty acid synthase, respectively, a 51% lower mRNA concentration of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in their mammary glands at d 17 of lactation, and a 46% lower milk fat content than SFO rats (P < 0.05). Although CLA rats had lower concentrations of triacylglycerols in the liver than SFO rats (20.8 ± 2.6 vs. 62.6 ± 27.7 µmol/g, P < 0.05), concentrations of triglycerides in plasma, which are the substrates of LPL, did not differ between the groups. Moreover, the number of pups per litter, litter weights, and pup weights at d 17 of lactation were 41, 35, and 22% lower, respectively, in the CLA group than in the SFO group. In conclusion, the present study suggests that dietary CLA reduces triacylglycerol concentrations in the milk via reduced de novo fatty acid synthesis in the mammary gland and an impaired uptake of fatty acids from lipoproteins into the mammary gland. This might be the reason for reduced growth rates and an increased mortality of suckling pups.
KEY WORDS: conjugated linoleic acid lactation mammary gland liver rat
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
A. Gutgesell, R. Ringseis, and K. Eder Short communication: Dietary conjugated linoleic acid down-regulates fatty acid transporters in the mammary glands of lactating rats J Dairy Sci, March 1, 2009; 92(3): 1169 - 1173. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. E. Bauman, J. W. Perfield II, K. J. Harvatine, and L. H. Baumgard Regulation of Fat Synthesis by Conjugated Linoleic Acid: Lactation and the Ruminant Model J. Nutr., February 1, 2008; 138(2): 403 - 409. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. Ringseis, C. Dathe, A. Muschick, C. Brandsch, and K. Eder Oxidized Fat Reduces Milk Triacylglycerol Concentrations by Inhibiting Gene Expression of Lipoprotein Lipase and Fatty Acid Transporters in the Mammary Gland of Rats J. Nutr., September 1, 2007; 137(9): 2056 - 2061. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. Ringseis, A. Muschick, and K. Eder Dietary Oxidized Fat Prevents Ethanol-Induced Triacylglycerol Accumulation and Increases Expression of PPAR{alpha} Target Genes in Rat Liver J. Nutr., January 1, 2007; 137(1): 77 - 83. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||