THE FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION OF MATERNAL DIET AFFECTS THE RESPONSE TO EXCITOTOXIC NEURAL INJURY IN NEONATAL RAT PUPS

Fatty acids and their derivatives play a role in the response to neura l injury. The effects of prenatal and postnatal dietary fatty acid com position on excitotoxic neural injury were investigated in neonatal ra t pups. Dams were fed during gestation and lactation a diet whose fat source was either corn oil or menhaden fish oil. On postnatal day 3, l itters were culled to 10 per dam. On postnatal day 4, excitotoxic neur al injury was induced by infusion of the glutamate analog N-methyl-DL- aspartate (NMA) into the left cerebral hemisphere. Three days later, p ups were killed and brains were removed for histological and volume as sessments. Levels of arachidonic acid were 2.3-fold higher in cerebrum s of pups in the corn oil group than in the fish oil group. Left cereb ral hemispheres among all pups were atrophic. Right cerebral hemispher es of pups in the corn oil group showed more histological evidence of edema, and had significantly higher volumes than pups in the fish oil group (66 vs. 42 mm(2), p = 0.007). These data suggest that the fatty acid composition of prenatal and/or postnatal diet can affect the neon atal response to excitotoxic neural injury. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.