abstract

• In sheep, polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementations in late gestation increases the growth of offspring; however, there is a lack of evidence on the effect of PUFA supplementation during early gestation. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in early gestation pregnant ewes on fatty acid concentration of fetal liver (FL) and fetal central nervous system (FCNS), and relative abundance of the mRNA for genes associated with transport and metabolism of fatty acids in FL and placenta. A total of 12 ewes, block for stage of gestation were fed a diet containing 1.6%25 (dry matter basis) monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) or EPA%2bDHA during the first 45 days of gestation. A cesarean section was conducted on day 45 of gestation to collect placenta (caruncle and cotyledon), FL, and FCNS. Relative abundance of mRNA in FL and FCNS and fatty acid concentration were analyzed using a 2x2 factorial arrangement of treatments considering fatty acid supplementation and tissue as the main factors. Concentrations of C18:1 isomers increase (P < 0.05) in FL and FCNS with MUFA supplementation; the FL and FCNS had a greater concentration of C20:3(n-6), C20:3(n-3), C22:1, C22:5 and C22:6 (P < 0.05) with EPA%2bDHA supplementation. In FL, the relative abundance of LPL mRNA was greater (P = 0.02) as a result of MUFA supplementation. In placenta, there was a FA x tissue interaction for relative abundance of DNMT3b and FFAR-4 mRNA (P < 0.05). Fetus from MUFA-supplemented dams had a greater relative abundance of FABP-4 mRNA (P < 0.05). Results indicate supplementation with EPA%2bDHA during early gestation increases the total EPA and DHA in FL. For the placenta, EPA%2bDHA supplementation led to an increase in the relative abundance of lipid mRNA for transport genes. © 2020 Roque-Jimenez et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

authors

• Lee Rangel Héctor Aaron
• Oviedo-Ojeda M.F.
• Relling A.
• Roque-Jiménez J.A.
• Whalin M.

publication date

• 2020-01-01

published in

• PLoS ONE  Journal

keywords

• docosahexaenoic acid; icosapentaenoic acid; lipid; messenger RNA; monounsaturated fatty acid; DNA (cytosine 5) methyltransferase; docosahexaenoic acid; fatty acid; fatty acid binding protein; icosapentaenoic acid; icosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester; lipoprotein lipase; messenger RNA; animal experiment; animal food; animal tissue; Article; central nervous system; cesarean section; controlled study; diet supplementation; ewe; fatty acid metabolism; fatty acid transport; female; fetus; genetic association; gestational age; liver level; liver tissue; nonhuman; placenta; RNA analysis; animal; central nervous system; chemistry; dietary supplement; drug effect; genetics; gestational age; liver; metabolism; placenta; pregnancy; sheep; Animals; Central Nervous System; Dietary Supplements; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases; Docosahexaenoic Acids; Eicosapentaenoic Acid; Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; Fatty Acids; Female; Fetus; Gestational Age; Lipoprotein Lipase; Liver; Placenta; Pregnancy; RNA, Messenger; Sheep

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1371/journal.pone.0235217

PubMed ID

• 32574225

start page

end page

volume

• 15

issue

• 6