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Increased blood pressure later in life may be associated with perinatal n−3 fatty acid deficiency

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Lipids

Abstract

Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Previous work in both animals and humans with high blood pressure has demonstrated the antihypertensive effects of n−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), although it is not known whether these nutrients are effective in preventing hypertension. The predominant n−3 PUFA in the mammalian nervous system, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is deposited into synaptic membranes at a high rate during the perinatal period, and recent observations indicate that the perinatal environment is important for the normal development of blood pressure control. This study investigated the importance of perinatal n−3 PUFA supply in the control of blood pressure in adult Sprague-Dawley rats. Pregnant rat dams were fed semisynthetic diets that were either deficient in (DEF) or supplemented with (CON) n−3 PUFA. Offspring were fed the same diets as their mothers until 9 wk; then, half of the rats from each group were crossed over to the opposite diet, creating four groups, i.e., CON-CON; CON-DEF; DEF-DEF, DEF-CON. Mean arterial blood pressures (MAP) were measured directly, at 33 wk of age, by cannulation of the femoral artery. The phospholipid fatty acid profile of the hypothalamic region was determined by capillary gas-liquid chromatography. The tissue phospholipid fatty acid profile reflected the diet that the rats were consuming at the time of testing. Both groups receiving DEF after 9 wk of age (i.e., DEF-DEF and CON-DEF) had similar profiles with a reduction in DHA levels of 30%, compared with rats receiving CON (i.e., CON-CON and DEF-CON). DEF-DEF rats had significantly raised MAP compared with all other groups, with differences as great as 17 mm Hg. DEF-CON rats had raised MAP compared with CON-CON rats, and DEF-DEF rats had higher MAP than CON-DEF rats, despite the fact that their respective fatty acid profiles were not different. These findings indicate that inadequate levels of DHA in the perinatal period are associated with altered blood pressure control in later life. The way in which these long-term effects are produced remains to be elucidated.

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Abbreviations

ALA:

(18∶3n−3, α-linolenic acid)

CON:

n−3-sufficient diet

CVD:

cardiovascular disease

CVO:

circumventricular organ

DEF:

n−3-deficient diet

DHA:

(22∶6n−3, docosahexaenoic acid)

MAP:

mean arterial pressure

ΔMAP:

change in mean arterial pressure

PUFA:

polyunsaturated fatty acid

SHR:

spontaneously hypertensive rat

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of Melbourne, 3010, Victoria, Australia

    James A. Armitage & Algis J. Vingrys

  2. Department of Food Science, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, 3000, Melbournne, Victoria, Australia

    Andrew J. Sinclair

  3. Section of Neurobiology, Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine, University of Melbourne, 3010, Victoria, Australia

    James A. Armitage, Adrian D. Pearce, Richard S. Weisinger & Harrison S. Weisinger

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  1. James A. Armitage
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  2. Adrian D. Pearce
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  3. Andrew J. Sinclair
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  4. Algis J. Vingrys
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Correspondence to Harrison S. Weisinger.

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Armitage, J.A., Pearce, A.D., Sinclair, A.J. et al. Increased blood pressure later in life may be associated with perinatal n−3 fatty acid deficiency. Lipids 38, 459–464 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-003-1084-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-003-1084-y

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