No abstract

HighlightsThe toxicity of calcium L-methylfolate was studied.No toxic, mutagenic, teratogenic nor embryogenic effects were observed.The NOAEL for calcium L-methylfolate was 400 mg/kg bw/day.

An Algal Oil Containing EPA and DHA (AOCED) at ~50% was developed as a sustainable source of omega-3 fatty acids. AOCED was incorporated into extruded dry foods for dogs at 0, 0.75%, 1.5% and 3.0% levels (equivalent to 0, 7.5, 15 and 30 g/kg diet) on dry matter basis at the expense of chicken fat and fed to healthy female Beagle dogs starting at mating and throughout gestation and lactation. The offspring were fed their maternal corresponding diets for 26 weeks after weaning. AOCED-enriched diets were well tolerated by dogs in both generations and did not affect their overall health, physiological parameters, food consumption, body weights and body weight gains. There were no changes in hematology, clinical chemistry, and coagulation parameters in both generations of dogs fed the AOCED diets when compared to those in the control group. Plasma levels of DHA and EPA increased significantly and generally dose-dependently in both generations. The study demonstrated the safety of AOCED in dogs during gestation, lactation, and growth periods at dietary levels up to 3.0wt%, equivalent to 30 g/kg diet. AOCED’s bioavailability as a source of DHA and EPA in dogs was demonstrated by the increased plasma concentrations of these nutritional lipids.

Human studies and some animal work have shown more docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) was accumulated or converted from precursors in females compared to males. This study explored in-depth the effect of gender on fatty acid composition and polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism in rats fed one of two well-defined diets containing 10% total fat. One diet contained 15% of linoleic acid (LA) and 3% of α-linolenic acid (ALA) of the total fatty acids (LA+ALA diet), while the other diet contained 15% LA and 0.05% ALA (LA diet). At the age of 20 weeks, all animals were orally administered a single dose of a mixture of deuterium-labeled LA and ALA. Caudal venous blood was then drawn at 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 48, 96 and 168 h. The concentrations of the deuterated precursors and their metabolites in plasma total lipids were quantified by GC/MS negative chemical ionization. Endogenous fatty acids were quantified by GC/FID analysis. When expressed as the percentage of oral dosage, female rats accumulated more precursors and more products, deuterated DHA and deuterated n-6 docosapentaenoic acid (2H5-DPAn-6), in plasma than did male rats in both the LA+ALA diet and the LA diet. For the endogenous non-labeled PUFA, greater concentrations of DHA and DPAn-6 were similarly observed in female rats compared to males within each diet. A lower concentration of non-labeled ARA was observed only in female rats fed the LA+ALA diet. In summary, greater endogenous and exogenous DHA and DPAn-6 was observed in female rat plasma and this was independent of dietary ALA status.

No abstract