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Fish oil diet in pregnancy and lactation reduces pup weight and modifies newborn hepatic metabolic adaptations in rats

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Abstract

Purpose

To determine the effects of a diet containing fish oil (FD) during pregnancy and lactation in rats on the metabolic adaptations made by the offspring during early extrauterine life and to compare it to an olive oil diet (OD).

Methods

Rats were mated and randomly allocated to OD or FD containing 10 % of the corresponding oil. During lactation, litters were adjusted to eight pups per dam. Fetuses of 20 days and pups of 0, 1, 10, 20 and 30 days of age were studied.

Results

Body weight and length were lower in pups of the FD group from birth. The diet, milk, pups’ plasma and liver of FD group had higher proportions of n-3 LCPUFA, but the content of arachidonic acid (ARA) was lower. Plasma glucose was higher, but unesterified fatty acids, triacylglycerols (TAG), 3-hydroxybutyrate and liver TAG in 1-day-old pups were lower in the FD group, and differences in some of these variables were also found in pups up to 30 days old. Liver lipoprotein lipase activity and mRNA expression, and the expression of carnitine palmitoyl transferase I, acyl-CoA oxidase and 3-hydroxy 3-methyl glutaryl-CoA synthase increased more at birth in pups of the FD group, but the expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c and Δ6-desaturase mRNA was lower in the FD group.

Conclusions

Maternal intake of high n-3 LCPUFA retards postnatal development, which could be the result of impaired ARA synthesis, and affects hepatic metabolic adaptations to extrauterine life.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Milagros Morante for her excellent technical assistance and pp-science-editing.com for editing and linguistic revision of the manuscript.

Author contributions

M.J.J. conducted the research; C.B. conducted the research and analyzed data; M.P. carried out the statistical analysis; E.H. designed research, had primary responsibility for final content and wrote the paper.

Funding

This study was carried out with the financial support of the Universidad San Pablo CEU (USP09-12), the Fundación Ramón Areces of Spain (CIVP 16A1835), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-Subdirección General de Evaluación y Fomento de la Investigación (PI-09/02192) and the European Community FEDER funds.

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  1. Departamento de Química y Bioquímica, Universidad San Pablo CEU, Ctra. Boadilla del Monte km 5.3, Boadilla del Monte, 28668, Madrid, Spain

    Maria J. Jiménez, Carlos Bocos, Maribel Panadero & Emilio Herrera

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  1. Maria J. Jiménez
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  2. Carlos Bocos
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Correspondence to Emilio Herrera.

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Jiménez, M.J., Bocos, C., Panadero, M. et al. Fish oil diet in pregnancy and lactation reduces pup weight and modifies newborn hepatic metabolic adaptations in rats. Eur J Nutr 56, 409–420 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-1091-y

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