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,1
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences,
* Comparative Nutrition Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and
Faculty of Nutrition, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, and
** Nestle-Purina Pet Care, St. Louis, MO
1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jbauer{at}cvm.tamu.edu.
Alterations of plasma lipids and lipoproteins occur during mammalian pregnancy and reproduction. This study investigated the effects of dietary fatty acids on plasma lipid and lipoprotein alterations during canine gestation, lactation, and the neonatal period. Four diets containing varying amounts of
-linolenic acid relative to marine-based (n-3) long-chain fatty acids were studied and fed to dogs from the time of estrus, and throughout pregnancy and lactation. In addition, puppies born to these dams suckled and were weaned using the same diets their mothers had been fed. Plasma cholesterol (total, free, and esterified fractions) and triglycerides were determined at selected time points and lipoprotein fractions were characterized in both mothers and offspring. During gestation, plasma total cholesterol concentrations were depressed early on, then increased in the later stages independently of diet. Both ß- and
2-migrating lipoproteins also increased during these times. Lactation was also characterized by lower lipid and lipoprotein amounts compared with the nonpregnant state. In puppies, total plasma and ß-lipoprotein cholesterol were elevated at 4 and 10 d of age. Diet effects included cholesterol, triglyceride, and lipoprotein lowering with increased amounts of marine (n-3) fatty acids in all life stages investigated. The increase in ß-lipoprotein cholesterol in puppies during wk 1 of life is consistent with an earlier report of increased canine apoprotein B,E receptor activities in immature dogs compared with undetectable activities in mature animals in which the HDL fractions become even more predominant in this species.
KEY WORDS: lipids lipoproteins dogs fatty acids reproduction
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D. L. Palmquist Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Metabolism, Health, and Nutrition and for Modified Animal Product Foods Professional Animal Scientist, June 1, 2009; 25(3): 207 - 249. [Abstract] [PDF] |
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