PARENTERAL-FEEDING ALTERS THE FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION OF SERUM PHOSPHOLIPIDS OF RABBITS

Background: Cholestatic Liver disease develops in 30% to 70% of neonat es receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN). We analyzed the fatty a cid composition of serum phosholipids from control and TPN-fed rabbits to determine if TPN altered the fatty acid profile. Methods: Eleven m ale New Zealand White rabbits aged 9 to 11 weeks received TPN, whereas 11 other rabbits were offered standard laboratory rabbit chow ad libi tum. After 14 days on the prescribed diet, serum samples were analyzed for their phospholipid fatty acid content by gas chromatography. Resu lts: The proportions of palmitolenic (16:2n7), alpha-linolenic (18:3n3 ), arachidic (20:0), and eicosaenoic (20:1n9) acids were significantly lower in the serum phospholipids of the TPN-fed animals compared with the control group, The proportion of docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n3), a fatty acid that is critical to the development of the nervous system, was increased two- to threefold. Conclusions: The differences in prop ortions of fatty acids observed between control and TPN-fed animals in dicate that fatty acid elongation and desaturation pathways are pertur bed in rabbits on TPN.