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Serum n-3 Tetracosapentaenoic Acid and Tetracosahexaenoic Acid Increase Following Higher Dietary α-Linolenic Acid but not Docosahexaenoic Acid

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Lipids

Abstract

n-3 Tetracosapentaenoic acid (24:5n-3, TPAn-3) and tetracosahexaenoic acid (24:6n-3, THA) are believed to be important intermediates to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) synthesis. The purpose of this study is to report for the first time serum concentrations of TPAn-3 and THA and their response to changing dietary α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3, ALA) and DHA. The responses will then be used in an attempt to predict the location of these fatty acids in relation to DHA in the biosynthetic pathway. Male Long Evans rats (n = 6 per group) were fed either a low (0.1% of total fatty acids), medium (3%) or high (10%) ALA diet with no added DHA, or a low (0%), medium (0.2%) or high (2%) DHA diet with a background of 2% ALA for 8 weeks post-weaning. Serum n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) concentrations (nmol/mL ± SEM) were determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Serum THA increases from low (0.3 ± 0.1) to medium (5.8 ± 0.7) but not from medium to high (4.6 ± 0.9) dietary ALA, while serum TPAn-3 increases with increasing dietary ALA from 0.09 ± 0.04 to 0.70 ± 0.09 to 1.23 ± 0.14 nmol/mL. Following DHA feeding, neither TPAn-3 or THA change across all dietary DHA intake levels. Serum TPAn-3 demonstrates a similar response to dietary DHA. In conclusion, this is the first study to demonstrate that increases in dietary ALA but not DHA increase serum TPAn-3 and THA in rats, suggesting that both fatty acids are precursors to DHA in the biosynthetic pathway.

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Abbreviations

ALA:

α-Linolenic acid, 18:3n-3

DHA:

Docosahexaenoic acid, 22:6n-3

DPAn-3:

n-3 Docosapentaenoic acid, 22:5n-3

EPA:

Eicosapentaenoic acid, 20:5n-3

PFB:

Pentafluorolbenzyl

TLE:

Total lipid extract

THA:

Tetracosahexaenoic acid, 24:6n-3

TPAn-3:

Omega-3 tetracosapentaenoic acid, 24:5n-3

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by a grant to Richard P. Bazinet through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (482597). Richard P. Bazinet holds a Canada Research Chair in Brain Lipid Metabolism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 150 College St., Room 307, Fitzgerald Building, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E2, Canada

    Adam H. Metherel, Anthony F. Domenichiello, Alex P. Kitson & Richard P. Bazinet

  2. Section of Nutritional Neurosciences, Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Yu-Hong Lin

Authors
  1. Adam H. Metherel
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  2. Anthony F. Domenichiello
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  3. Alex P. Kitson
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Correspondence to Adam H. Metherel.

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Metherel, A.H., Domenichiello, A.F., Kitson, A.P. et al. Serum n-3 Tetracosapentaenoic Acid and Tetracosahexaenoic Acid Increase Following Higher Dietary α-Linolenic Acid but not Docosahexaenoic Acid. Lipids 52, 167–172 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-016-4223-0

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