THE EFFECT OF A FORMULA SUPPLEMENTED WITH N-3 AND N-6 LONG-CHAIN POLYUNSATURATED FATTY-ACIDS ON PLASMA PHOSPHOLIPID, LIVER MICROSOMAL, RETINAL, AND BRAIN FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION IN NEONATAL PIGLETS

We explore in this study the influence of dietary (n-6) and (n-3) long -chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) on tissues fatty acid com position in early life. Fight newborn piglets were fed sow milk for 20 days (group SM, n = 8); another sixteen newborn piglets were initiall y fed an adapted pig milk formula for 3 days and then assigned to rece ive for 17 days either the same adapted formula (group F, n = 8), or a formula supplemented with a phospholipid source of (n-6) and (n-3) LC -PUFA (group P, n = 8). Plasma phospholipid and liver microsomes 16:1( n-7) and 18:1(n-7) were increased in animals fed maternal milk compare d with those fed formulas. Feeding the LC-PUFA formula produced signif icantly higher plasma phospholipid and fiver microsomal 22:6(n-3) than feeding the control formula. Similar plasma phospholipid and liver mi crosomal (n-6) and (n-3) LC-PUFA were found in animals fed SM and in t hose fed the control formula. The supplementation of LC-PUFA did not l ead to any change in brain and retinal 20:4(n-6) and 22:6(n-3) No diff erences were Sound in brain and retinal 22:6(n-3) between animals fed the formula devoid of LC-PUFA and those fed sow milk. Retinal 22:4(n-6 ), 22:5(n-6) and 22:5(n-3) contents were significantly higher in mater nal milk fed animals as compared with control formula fed animals. In brain, animals fed sow milk had higher (n-6) LC-PUFA than animals fed the supplemented formula. The results obtained in this study indicate that the supplementation of a phospholipid source of LC-PUFA influence s plasma and liver microsomes 22:6(n-3). Under these experimental cond itions, brain and retinal 22:6(n-3) were insensitive to the dietary su pplementation. (C) Elsevier Science Inc. 1997.