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Maternal adipose tissue becomes a source of fatty acids for the fetus in fasted pregnant rats given diets with different fatty acid compositions

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Abstract

Purpose

The utilization of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) by the fetus may exceed its capacity to synthesize them from essential fatty acids, so they have to come from the mother. Since adipose tissue lipolytic activity is greatly accelerated under fasting conditions during late pregnancy, the aim was to determine how 24 h fasting in late pregnant rats given diets with different fatty acid compositions affects maternal and fetal tissue fatty acid profiles.

Methods

Pregnant Sprague–Dawley rats were given isoenergetic diets containing 10% palm-, sunflower-, olive- or fish-oil. Half the rats were fasted from day 19 of pregnancy and all were studied on day 20. Triacylglycerols (TAG), glycerol and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) were analyzed by enzymatic methods and fatty acid profiles were analyzed by gas chromatography.

Results

Fasting caused increments in maternal plasma NEFA, glycerol and TAG, indicating increased adipose tissue lipolytic activity. Maternal adipose fatty acid profiles paralleled the respective diets and, with the exception of animals on the olive oil diet, maternal fasting increased the plasma concentration of most fatty acids. This maintains the availability of LCPUFA to the fetus during brain development.

Conclusions

The results show the major role played by maternal adipose tissue in the storage of dietary fatty acids during pregnancy, thus ensuring adequate availability of LCPUFA to the fetus during late pregnancy, even when food supply is restricted.

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Notes

  1. Salt mix (g/kg diet): copper sulfate 0.1; ammonium molybdate 0.026; sodium iodate 0.000310; potassium chromate 0.028; zinc sulfate 0.091; calcium hydrogen phosphate 0.145; ammonium ferrous sulfate 2.228; magnesium sulfate 3.37; manganese sulfate 1.125; sodium chloride 4; calcium carbonate 9.89; potassium dihydrogen phosphate 14.75).

  2. Vitamin mix (mg/kg diet): retinyl palmitate 2.4; cholecalciferol 0.025; menadione sodium bisulfite 0.8; biotin 0.22; cyanocobalamin 0.01; riboflavim 6.6; thiamin hydrochloride 6.6; α-tocopherol acetate 100.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Milagros Morante for her excellent technical assistance and pp-science-editing.com for editing and linguistic revision of the manuscript. This work was supported by grants from Universidad San Pablo-CEU (USP09-12), Fundación Ramón Areces of Spain (Grant CIVP16A1835), and the European Communities Commission, specific RTD program + Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources, PeriLip (QLK1-2001-00138). This work does not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission and in no way anticipates its future policy in this area.

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  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, Ctra. Boadilla del Monte km 5.3, Boadilla del Monte, 28668, Madrid, Spain

    Iliana López-Soldado, Henar Ortega-Senovilla & Emilio Herrera

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  1. Iliana López-Soldado
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  2. Henar Ortega-Senovilla
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  3. Emilio Herrera
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Correspondence to Emilio Herrera.

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López-Soldado, I., Ortega-Senovilla, H. & Herrera, E. Maternal adipose tissue becomes a source of fatty acids for the fetus in fasted pregnant rats given diets with different fatty acid compositions. Eur J Nutr 57, 2963–2974 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-017-1570-4

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